DEFENCE

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what time restrictions apply with respect to making an application to the Employment Tribunal following consideration of a complaint under Army redress procedures relating to (a) sexual harassment, (b) racial harassment, (c) parental leave directive, (d) pay and (e) religion.

Adam Ingram: The standard time limit for an application to an Employment Tribunal is six months from the most recent occurrence about which the claim is being made. There is no requirement for an Army complainant to wait for an outcome of the internal complaints procedure before taking their case to Employment Tribunal. However in such a case the Army procedures are usually put on hold pending the completion of the Employment Tribunal.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the balance sheet value of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in the books of his Department was as at 31 March; what the carrying charge and applicable depreciation for that establishment is in the current year; and for what reasons his Department is investing a further £467 million in that establishment.

Adam Ingram: As at 31 March 2004, the Gross Book Value of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Balance Sheet was £552.8 million and the associated carrying depreciation was £55.3 million resulting in a Net Book Value of £497.5 million. The projected depreciation to 31 March 2005, for AWE, is £28.0 million. Investment at AWE is directed towards the maintenance of the effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent and enables AWE to meet safety, environmental and operational requirements. It is also in accordance with the Government's policy of keeping options for maintaining a nuclear deterrent capability, in line with the policy set out at paragraph 3.11 of the 2003 Defence White Paper (Cm 6041–1).

European Combined Forces

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the deployment of British troops as part of combined European forces under EU leadership; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: As stated in the 2003 Defence White Paper, the Government expects United Kingdom forces to conduct operations alongside and integrated with a range of multinational groupings—US, NATO, European, UN or other forces—under various command arrangements. The most appropriate command arrangement will depend on the prevailing circumstances. Decisions on whether to deploy British forces as part of an EU operation are taken by the Government on a case-by-case basis, as with NATO and all other multinational operations.

Firebombs/Napalm

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Mark 77 firebombs have been used by Coalition forces (a) in Iraq and (b) in or near areas in Iraq where civilians lived; whether this weapon is equivalent to napalm; whether (i) the UK and (ii) the US has signed the UN convention banning the use of napalm against civilian targets; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The United States have confirmed to us that they have not used Mark 77 firebombs, which are essentially napalm canisters, in Iraq at any time. No other Coalition member has Mark 77 firebombs in their inventory.
	The United Kingdom is bound under Protocol III to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) not to use incendiary weapons (which would include napalm) against military targets located within concentrations of civilians.
	US policy in relation to international conventions is a matter for the US Government, but all of our allies are aware of their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Gibraltar (Trafalgar Commemorations)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on activities planned by his Department involving Gibraltar as part of the Trafalgar commemorations.

Adam Ingram: A programme of events is planned to take place in Gibraltar during the weekend of 28–30 October 2005 to commemorate the close historic links between Gibraltar and Nelson's victory. In addition to a traditional service of remembrance at the Trafalgar cemetery, these will include a Nelson exhibition, Beating the Retreat and reception, and a Royal Navy Ceremonial Guard Mount at His Excellency the Governor's residence. The Royal Navy will also be invited to exercise their Freedom of the City privileges. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Navy is organising a special programme of events for this year, which is being coordinated with other events as part of the SeaBritain and Trafalgar Festival initiatives to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Infantry Battalions/Regiments

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he decided to change his decision on not disbanding or amalgamating infantry battalions.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to my statements to the House on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 343, and, more recently on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1195, about the future of the Infantry. The decision to restructure the infantry was taken in response to the evolving strategic environment. In our judgment, it is needed to ensure that the Army is best suited to meet present challenges and those of the future.

Infantry Battalions/Regiments

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 16 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1195–1218, on the future structure of the infantry, how he plans to retain the separate identities of the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots within the proposed Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Geoff Hoon: As I announced on the 16 December, the First Battalions of the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers will merge to form a new battalion within the future Royal Regiment of Scotland. This new regiment will have a common capbadge, uniform and a common tartan. There will, however, be scope for battalions to retain a degree of individual identity within these large regiments. For example, antecedent names will be maintained at battalion level prior to the new regimental name. How this can be achieved in other ways will be for the new regiment to decide in due course.

Infantry Battalions/Regiments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his statement of 16 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1195–1218, on the structure of the infantry, what definition he uses of regimental identity.

Geoff Hoon: There is no single definition of regimental identity that can be applied across all the regiments of infantry.
	As I made clear in my announcement on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1795W, there will be scope for all infantry battalions to retain a degree of individual identity within the new large regiments. For example, antecedent names will be maintained in some form in new titles. How identities can be preserved in other ways will be for all the new regiments to decide in due course.

Infantry Battalions/Regiments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether cap badges will continue to have a role to play in defining regimental identity.

Geoff Hoon: The new regiments will have individual cap badges.

Infantry Battalions/Regiments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether recruitment to the new Yorkshire regiment will be conducted on an exclusively county-wide basis.

Geoff Hoon: The new Yorkshire Regiment will adopt the recruiting areas of its antecedents, those being The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, The Green Howards and The Duke of Wellington's Regiment.
	As before, residents of other areas of the United Kingdom will also be able to volunteer for service in The Yorkshire Regiment.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received concerning the use of napalm gas in Falluja.

Adam Ingram: None.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received concerning the use by coalition forces of toxic chemical agents on (a) military and (b) civilian targets in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Iraq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department has made to counts of civilian casualties and fatalities in Iraq; and which organisations including the Iraqi Government it has assisted.

Adam Ingram: The Iraqi Government produces its own estimate of Iraqi casualties, based on Ministry of Health statistics for hospital admissions. The Ministry of Defence has not assisted Iraqi Government efforts to collate casualty numbers.
	The MOD has not assisted other organisations with independent counts of civilian casualties and fatalities. We have no methodology which would enable us to produce accurate estimates.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance is being provided by British troops to locate and make safe any unexploded armaments in and around Falluja resulting from recent Multi-National Force actions.

Geoff Hoon: None; there are no UK units in Falluja.

Legal Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Department spent on lawyers in each year since 1997; how many (a) actions, (b) settlements and (c) court cases there were in each year; and what the costs of each settlement were.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Visits

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions he has flown to and from Basra; what type of aircraft was used on each occasion; how his entourage was comprised on each occasion; how many vacant spaces were available on each flight home; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary (Mr. Hoon) has flown to Basra on four occasions; April 2003, October 2003, June 2004 and December 2004. On each occasion, for security reasons, he has used military aircraft to fly in to and out of Basra. He was accompanied by a member of his outer office and appropriate MOD military and civilian officials.
	Each military flight out of Basra was subject to a formal operational tasking and any vacant seats were made available to other MOD or military personnel.

Naval Munitions

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Principal Warfare Officers have not fired naval munitions since 1 January.

Adam Ingram: All Principal Warfare Officers (PWO) in training and serving in PWO billets at sea will have conducted live firings since 1 January 2004 as part of their requirement to remain at Operational Performance Standard.

Naval Munitions

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Royal Navy has met its target for the firing of shells and missiles in 2004.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy met its mandated targets for firing shells and missiles in 2004, except when operational priorities/tasking dictated a change in programme.

Parachute Regiment

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) current strength is of each of the three battalions of the Parachute Regiment.

Adam Ingram: As at 1 November 2004, the establishment and strength of each of the three battalions of the Parachute Regiment was as follows:
	
		
			 Battalion Establishment Strength 
		
		
			 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment 580 570 
			 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment 580 540 
			 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment 580 540 
		
	
	The establishment figures include only the infantry posts (officers and soldiers) and exclude attached personnel of other Arms and Services such as chefs, clerks, etc. The figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	The strength numbers were collected on 1 November and have been rounded to the nearest five. They do not include officers and soldiers in the Parachute Regiment that are serving outside the battalion, or personnel from other cap-badges who are attached to the battalion. We cannot be precise about the strength in each battalion as the means by which this data is collected does not allow for separate attribution. The split is therefore derived from an estimate based on strength by Unit Identity Number.

Radiation Exposure

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department places in the public domain on the extent to which those working at defence establishments that use nuclear materials are exposed to radiation; what independent assessment is made of the dosimetry statistics; and what research is being conducted to reduce radiation exposure.

Adam Ingram: Since 1990 the Ministry of Defence has placed in the Library of the House copies of the annual dosimetry statistics for workers who receive exposures from radiation sources and radioactive materials used by the Ministry of Defence and its contractors. These annual dosimetry statistics include all personnel monitored by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Radiological Protection Services (DRPS) Approved Dosimetry Service.
	AWE employs its own dosimetry laboratory which is subject to regulation and scrutiny by the HSE. AWE dosimetry statistics are published in AWE plc annual reports, a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House, and on the AWE plc website. The doses reported in the DRPS statistics are very low when compared with the regulatory dose limits. The annual dose limit for workers aged 18 and over is 20 mSv. The average dose in 2003 for all personnel monitored by the DRPS Approved Dosimetry Service was 0.35 mSv and the maximum dose to any individual in 2003 was below 5 mSv. The DRPS report includes dosimetry information based on all DRPS customers and this includes an element of commercial work for organisations such as NHS trusts and HM Customs and Excise.
	The Ministry of Defence provides radiation dosimetry information to the National Radiological Protection Board for inclusion in the National Registry of Radiation Workers (NRRW). The NRRW is used to support independent epidemiological analysis of workers exposed to radiation during the course of their work.
	The Ministry of Defence is bound by Regulation 8 of the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 that places a duty on employers, in relation to any work with ionising radiation that they undertake, to take all necessary steps to restrict, so far as is reasonably practicable, the extent to which their employees and other persons are exposed to ionising radiation. Compliance with this duty is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate together with the Ministry of Defence's internal Regulators.
	The Ministry of Defence and its contractors carefully consider the need to reduce worker doses when designing, operating, maintaining and decommissioning plant and equipment that involves exposure to radiation.

Spectrum

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the spectrum price paid by his Department for the bands which it managed was in financial years (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02, (d) 2002–03 and (e) 2003–04; what his estimate is for 2004–05; and what estimate he has made for financial years (i) 2005–06, (ii) 2006–07 and (iii) 2007–08.

Adam Ingram: The price paid by financial year was as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Price paid (£ million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (5507190001)6 
			 2000–01 (5507190001)12 
			 2001–02 22.625 
			 2002–03 23.740 
			 2003–04 24.292 
			 For the current year:  
			 2004–05 24.292 
			 Estimates for:  
			 2005–06 55.784 
			 2006–07 55.784 
		
	
	(5507190001) Approx.
	Thereafter the pricing is expected to be reviewed by HM Treasury.

Spectrum

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list mobile and fixed linked bands that (a) were and (b) were not subject to spectrum pricing in financial years (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01, (iii) 2001–02, (iv) 2002–03 and (v) 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: The application of pricing to Ministry of Defence managed bands by the Radiocommunications Agency up to December 2004 and thereafter by Ofcom is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Band (MHz) Pricing Remarks 
		
		
			 70–70.5 Yes — 
			 72.8–74.8 Yes — 
			 75.2–76.7 Yes — 
			 78–80 Yes — 
			 84–85 Yes — 
			 137–138 Yes — 
			 141.9–143 Yes — 
			 149–149.9 Yes — 
			 153.5–154 Yes — 
			 225–400 No — 
			 401–406 Yes — 
			 406.1–450 Yes — 
			 845–862 Yes — 
			 870–888 Yes — 
			 915–933 Yes — 
			 1375–1400 Yes — 
			 1427–1452 Yes — 
			 2025–2070 Yes New to MOD in 2003–04 
			 2200–2245 Yes New to MOD in 2003–04 
			 2290–2300 Yes — 
			 2310–2390 Yes — 
			 3400–3600 Yes — 
			 4400–5000 Yes — 
			 14620–15230 Yes — 
		
	
	Except as indicated in the remarks there has been no change in the application of pricing in the financial years 1999–2000 to 2003–04.

Spectrum

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for use of spectrum for ground-based radar in financial years (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02, (d) 2002–03 and (e) 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: The fees paid by the Ministry of Defence for radar frequency bands are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Fees (£ million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1.554 
			 2000–01 3.109 
			 2001–02 6.218 
			 2002–03 6.218 
			 2003–04 6.218 
		
	
	It should be noted that these Radiolocation bands are not exclusively allocated to ground use.

Spectrum

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list mobile and fixed linked bands that have been released for civil use in financial years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01, (e) 2001–02, (f) 2002–03 and (g) 2003–04; and what plans he has to release spectrum for civil use in (i) 2005–06, (ii) 2006–07 and (iii) 2007–08.

Adam Ingram: Records with the necessary detail to ascribe the release of spectrum to particular financial years are not held centrally by Ministry of Defence or Ofcom. However, significant cases of release of spectrum by MOD in the period from 1997 for civilian use are listed. Both spectrum that has been released for civilian use and spectrum that has been shared between military and civilian users has been included in the following list.
	10.125—10.225 GHz and 10.4 0 10.5 GHz shared
	8 MHz of the 410—415/420—425 MHz bands shared
	856—860 MHz released
	3480—3500/3580 and 3600 MHz leased back to the Radiocommunications Agency for 15 years
	8400—8500 MHz released
	2290—2300 MHz released
	39.5—40 GHz released
	This list indicates the results of close co-operation between the MOD and the Radiocommunications Agency/Ofcom and does not include all cases of sharing arrangements.

Spectrum

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the information that his Department has released to commercial operators about its prospective spectrum utilisation.

Adam Ingram: The MOD has released no information to commercial operators in respect of its prospective spectrum utilisation. Such information is only discussed with companies bidding to supply MOD with equipment on a Commercial in Confidence basis and with Ofcom to shape future policy.

Staffords

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the means by which the Staffords will retain their separate regimental identity once they have been integrated into the new Mercian Regiment.

Geoff Hoon: As I announced on 16 December 2004, the Cheshires, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters and the Staffords will amalgamate to form the Mercian Regiment which will have three regular battalions. There will be scope for battalions to retain a degree of individual identity within the new large regiments. For example, antecedent names will be maintained at battalion level in brackets after the new regimental name. How this can be achieved in other ways will be for the new regiment to decide in due course.

Swan Hunter

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support has the Department given to Swan Hunter shipyard in each of the last 30 years.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not provide financial support to the defence industry.
	The lead Department for policy relating to Government financial support to industry is the Department of Trade and Industry.

Training

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual training requirement is for Principal Warfare Officers; and whether it has been fulfilled this year.

Adam Ingram: In Financial Year 2003–04, 40 Principal Warfare Officers (PWO) were required and 40 trained. It is anticipated that 39 will be trained in FY 2004–05 and in 2005–06. This is expected to meet the Navy's presently forecast requirements.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Select Committees (Legislation)

Tony Wright: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make proposals to the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House to enable Select Committees to introduce legislation.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. It is, of course, already open to any Member to introduce legislation. The question is whether bills initiated by Select Committees should have priority over other non-Government Bills.

Sitting Hours

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make a statement on changes to sitting hours of the House.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Leader of the House, to the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Ms Munn) earlier today.

TRANSPORT

Bicycle Lights

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it the policy of the Government that bicycle lights which flash, pulsate or comprise light emitting diodes shall be deemed to satisfy the requirement that bicycles ridden at night should have lights.

David Jamieson: holding answer 10 January 2005
	Bicycle lights which comprise light emitting diodes and that conform to British Standard BS6102:3 are already deemed to satisfy the requirement for bicycles ridden at night to have lights. My Department is currently considering a change in legislation to allow the use of flashing lights on pedal cycles.

Cats Eyes

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is towards the use of cats eyes on unlit roads; what the reasons are for the policy; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Department for Transport's advice on the use of cats eyes is set out in section 6 of Chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual. A new edition was published last year. Because they remain effective in wet weather and particularly in areas prone to fog, when reflectorised road markings perform less well, they are recommended on all high-speed roads. Their use is compulsory with double white line systems, when the normal spacing is closed up to 4.5 metres, because it is essential for safety reasons that drivers recognise the lines in all weather conditions.

Dial-a-Ride Buses

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to promote dial-a-ride bus services; and what assessment he has made of the take-up of these services;
	(2)  if he will list those areas in which dial-a-ride bus services are in operation; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: In February 2004 regulations were introduced to make it easier to run registered local bus services in England and Wales for the general public whose routes and timings vary subject to passenger demand. The Department undertook a series of seminars across the regions to highlight the new flexibilities and encourage take up of this new type of service.
	Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) was also extended to cover flexibly-routed local bus services in England and Wales. Bus registration and BSOG in Scotland are devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
	96 services have been registered with the Traffic Commissioners to date.
	
		
			 Traffic area office Total applications received New Variation of existing registration Accepted Refused Withdrawn Awaiting information from operator 
		
		
			 North East 25 22 3 22 1 0 2 
			 North West 32 20 12 12 14 6 0 
			 West Midlands 15 15 0 15 0 0 0 
			 Eastern 11 10 1 9 0 1 1 
			 Welsh 6 6 0 6 0 0 0 
			 Western 43 36 7 32 3 1 7 
			 Total 132 109 23 96 18 8 10 
		
	
	This is in addition to the specialised dial-a-ride services provided by the voluntary transport sector which have long operated in many areas.

Eurostar (North Kent)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects domestic passengers from North Kent rail stations to be able to use Eurostar to and from London.

Tony McNulty: The future of services in North Kent announced will be announced shortly, when the Invitation to Tender for the new Integrated Kent Franchise is issued to bidders.

Hybrid Engine Cars

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to develop hybrid engine cars.

David Jamieson: holding answer 10 January 2005
	The Government provides a number of incentives to encourage the purchase and use of clean, low carbon vehicles, including hybrid vehicles. The Vehicle Excise Duty regime, for example, rewards the purchase of the most fuel-efficient vehicles, with additional discounts for hybrid vehicles. The company car tax system introduced in April 2002 provides very large incentives to encourage the purchase of clean, fuel-efficient cars, with hybrid vehicles enjoying a significant additional discount.
	The Government also funds two grant programmes, run by the Energy Saving Trust, which are designed to encourage the development and market uptake of more environmentally friendly (lower CO 2 and/or air pollutant-emitting) vehicles and vehicle technologies, including hybrids. The New Vehicle Technology Fund provides grants for projects to develop demonstration vehicles for new technologies which reduce the CO 2 emissions and/or air pollutant emissions such as NOx and particulates. During 2004–05 18 projects have been funded, of which 11 involve hybrid technology. The grant allocation for the New Vehicle Technology Fund in 2004–05 is £4.6 million.
	The Powershift grant programme is also funded by Government, to provide grants to individuals and undertakings to purchase vehicles which are proven to have reduced CO 2 and/or air pollutant emissions, in order to encourage their uptake. So far during 2004–05, grants have been awarded towards the purchase of 1,053 hybrid cars, which represents 42 per cent. of the total number of vehicles funded.
	As we announced on 21 December 2004, following our recent consultation exercise, we intend to revise the grant programmes so as to incentivise the cleanest cars regardless of the technology or fuel type, while ensuring that grant levels are also consistent with European rules on state aid. A full copy of the press release can be accessed on the Department for Transport's website, at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/displaypn.cgi?pn_id=2004_0164

Railway Directives

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effect of European Court of Justice case C-483/02, as detailed in OJ C300 volume 47 of 4 December, on UK implementation of railway directives; what measures he will take to comply with the ruling; and what estimate he has made of the costs which will be incurred in so complying.

Tony McNulty: We currently expect to transpose the Directives concerned (2001/12/EC, 2001/13/EC and 2001/14/EC) by the end of 2005. In reality, these Directives will have little effect on the railways which already comply with the vast majority of the Directives' requirements which aim to open up the European rail market to competition. The estimated costs and benefits of complying with these requirements will be set out in a Regulatory Impact Assessment produced to accompany consultation later this year on the draft regulations to transpose these Directives into domestic law.

Road Casualties

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians have been (a) injured, (b) seriously injured and (c) killed in collisions with (i) car drivers, (ii) drivers of all motor vehicles and (iii) cyclists in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is shown in the following table. Figures are taken from the annual publication "Road Casualties Great Britain" copies of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	
		Pedestrian casualties by vehicle hit in accident: GB 1999–2003
		
			Number of casualties 
			 Vehicle type: Severity 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Pedal cycle Killed 5 3 0 4 4 
			  Serious 70 66 60 47 45 
			  Slight 276 225 198 158 210 
			  All 351 294 258 209 259 
			 Car Killed 608 590 531 534 533 
			  Serious 7,451 7,161 6,828 6,496 5,886 
			  Slight 27,603 27,038 26,127 24,944 23,390 
			  All 35,662 34,789 33,486 32,024 29,809 
			 All motor vehicles(5507190002) Killed 863 849 822 766 762 
			  Serious 8,867 8,549 8,161 7,790 7,100 
			  Slight 32,685 32,200 31,237 29,906 28,206 
			  All 42,415 41,598 40,220 38,462 36,068 
		
	
	(5507190002) Excludes vehicle type not reported.

Road Noise

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1014W, on road noise, when the Highways Agency will announce the outcome of its review of the programme for quieter surfaces;
	(2)  which schemes detailed in the announcement have not yet been completed; on what date work began or is due to begin on each; and what the expected dates of completion are;
	(3)  on which roads quieter surfaces have now been introduced; and, in respect of each road where the difference between actual noise levels and those predicted is significant, on what date quieter surfaces will be introduced.

David Jamieson: holding answer 21 December 2004
	The Highways Agency is currently reviewing its programmes of work for 2005–06 in line with the Spending Review settlement. Works programmes for 2005–06, including resurfacing, should be known by the time of publication of the Highways Agency's Business Plan for 2005–06 to 2007–08, expected in March 2005.
	The following schemes which were included in the indicative forward programme issued on 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1229W, have not yet been completed:
	A12 Hatfield Peverel
	M42 J9–10
	Al Winthorpe to North Muskham
	Al Winthorpe to Coddington
	Al Coddington to Balderton
	A46 Widmerpool to Willoughby
	A46 Willoughby to Six Hills
	A180 Harbrough to Stallingborough
	A180 Great Coates to Pyewipe
	M62 Gilberdyke to Newport
	A47 East Dereham Bypass
	M5 J26–27
	M11 J6–7NB
	M25 J16–17
	Al Carlton to North Muskham
	M69 Con 2 J21 to flexible section
	Of the schemes listed, the following will be completed in financial year 2004–05:
	M5 J26–27
	M11 J6–7NB
	M25 J16–17
	Al Carlton to North Muskham
	M69 Con 2 J21 to flexible section
	Start of works dates for the remaining schemes have not yet been confirmed. Due to other competing and pressing maintenance needs, it has not been possible to progress the schemes within the indicative timetable originally provided.
	Of the 17 concrete roads that have been opened since June 1988, one scheme (A27 Chichester-Havant) will be resurfaced with quieter surfacing in this financial year.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department was formed on 29 May 2002. Between that date and 31 March 2003, a departmental special adviser accompanied the Secretary of State to Strasbourg at a cost of £675.31. All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.

Traffic Statistics

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the average 24 hour traffic volume has been in each month since January at the (a) Norton Canes to A34 Great Wyrley, (b) Shenstone to Chasetown and (c) Wishaw to A38 automatic traffic counters on the M6 Toll road on (i) Mondays to Fridays, (ii) Saturdays and (iii) Sundays;
	(2)  what the average 24 hour traffic volume was in each month since January at the (a) J3-J4E, (b) J4A-J5, (c) J9-J10, (d) J10-J10A, (e) J10A-J11, (f) J12-J13, (g) J6-J7 and (h) J9-J10 automatic traffic counters on the M6 on (i) Mondays to Fridays, (ii) Saturdays and (iii) Sundays;
	(3)  what the average 24 hour traffic volume has been in each month since January at the (a) J6-J7 and (b) J9-J10 automatic traffic counters on the M42 on (i) Mondays to Fridays, (ii) Saturdays and (iii) Sundays.

David Jamieson: holding answer 21 December 2004
	Tables which contain the information requested have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Figures for the M6 and M42 have been provided from data collected by the Highways Agency's automatic traffic counters. Although some of this information is not available, most is in the format required.
	Figures for the M6 Toll have been taken from information provided on the website of Midlands Expressway Ltd., operators of the toll road. The company is not able to readily break down the figures into the lengths of road specified, nor separate them into northbound and southbound directions as with the M6 and M42.

Transport (Disabled Access)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of trains in operation in each year since 1995 have been wheelchair accessible, broken down by train operator; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of trains that will have to be scrapped to meet the accessibility end date of 2020, broken down by train operator; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The powers in Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) allow the Government to make regulations requiring all new land based public transport vehicles—trains, buses and coaches, and taxis—to be accessible to disabled people, including those who need to remain in wheelchairs.
	The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (RVAR) came into force on 31 December 1998, and have applied to all new rail vehicles coming into service in England, Scotland and Wales after that date. Northern Ireland has its own separate regulations. The RVAR, which were the first regulations to be made under Part 5 of the DDA, considerably improve access for disabled passengers to new rail vehicles. The Regulations were drawn up in close consultation with the Government's statutory advisers on transport issues as they affect disabled people, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC).
	The regulations cover wheelchair accessibility and accommodation, including the design of on-board accessible toilets for those trains in which toilet facilities are provided. They also specify the size and location of handrails and handholds, and control devices as well as covering the provision of audible warnings and other equipment. In addition, a requirement for both visual and audible passenger information assists passengers with sensory impairments to use rail services with confidence.
	Over 3,800 new fully accessible rail vehicles are now in service—which represents almost one third of the national heavy rail fleet. A further 700 vehicles will be entering service over the next 12 months. In addition, many older trains, while not meeting full RVAR standards already had wheelchair accommodation and other features to assist disabled passengers prior to 1998.
	The Department does not record which vehicles are in use by which train operator, as they are frequently swapped between operators, according to operational needs.
	The Government are proposing to take powers in the Disability Discrimination Bill to enable it to set an end date by which time all rail vehicles must comply with the RVAR. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State announced in November that the Government's preferred end-date is 2020. We also intend to require access improvements to those features which are included in refurbishment plans for older rail vehicles.
	Using figures from the Strategic Rail Authority, we estimate, that fewer than 2200 non-compliant vehicles would still be in service by 2020. The decision as to whether to refurbish older trains to RVAR standards or replace them with new, RVAR compliant trains by then is a matter for the rolling stock leasing companies and train operators. The Government will be publishing for consultation a Regulatory Impact Assessment to accompany draft regulations, during the passage of the Bill through Parliament.

Transport (Disabled Access)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which licensing authorities are not operating taxis that are accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The following list is based on the latest statistical data on wheelchair accessible taxis, compiled by the Department for Transport and based on returns provided by local licensing authorities in England and Wales, as at 31 March 2004. This showed that the authorities listed did not license accessible vehicles as taxis at that time.
	We recognise that the current generation of accessible taxis do not meet the needs of all disabled people although they do provide a good level of access for many wheelchair users. The Department for Transport is therefore currently looking into the ergonomic requirements of taxi design that would enable as many disabled people as possible to use taxis.
	The results of that research will form the basis of the technical specifications to support the Government's proposals to introduce Taxi Accessibility Regulations under part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). The proposals, which were announced in the House on 26 October 2003, would see the phasing in of regulations in specified licensing areas from 2010 (for all new vehicles), with full compliance by 2020. The 2010 date has been proposed to accommodate a full public consultation process, to give sufficient time for vehicle manufacturers and converters to produce new models that meet the regulations, and to give the trade sufficient time to adapt to the change. In the period before regulations are introduced, local licensing authorities remain free to introduce their own accessibility policies and we encourage them to do so in consultation with disabled people locally.
	Licensing Authorities in England and Wales not licensing accessible taxis at 31 March 2004
	Alnwick
	Babergh
	Barrow-in-Furness
	Blaby
	Bolsover
	Broadland
	Copeland
	Cotswold
	East Northants
	Eastleigh
	Elmbridge
	Gedling
	Hambleton
	Havant
	Malvern Hills
	Mendip
	Mid Bedfordshire
	Mid Suffolk
	Monmouthshire
	Rutland UA
	South Bucks
	South Cambridge
	South Norfolk
	Tewkesbury
	Uttlesford
	Waverley
	West Lindsey
	Source:
	DfT survey of licensing authorities.

Transport (Disabled Access)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the percentage of buses with faulty ramps in (a) England and (b) each local authority in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations require new buses over 22 passengers first used on or after 31 December 2000 to be accessible to wheelchair users. The requirements include the availability of a boarding aid (generally a ramp). An operator who does not comply with these regulations is guilty of an offence.
	Buses are subject to annual roadworthiness inspections, spot checks and roadside inspections to ensure their safety and accessibility. Information on the reliability of individual components such as ramps is not collected separately but we are aware of a number of complaints from disabled people about poor reliability of power operated ramps.
	The majority of power operated ramps are fitted to buses in London, and Transport for London has carried out detailed monitoring of the reliability of ramps fitted to these buses and has discussed performance with the operators concerned.

Yellow School Buses

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in encouraging the use of yellow school buses as a means to cut traffic congestion.

Charlotte Atkins: We know from our evaluation of various small-scale yellow and other dedicated school bus schemes that well-designed schemes have the potential to reduce car dependency for journeys to school and the traffic congestion that results from this. However, care needs to be taken to ensure that schemes do not reduce levels of walking or cycling or undermine the viability of important commercial bus services.
	We therefore want to encourage individual local authorities to consider school bus schemes as part of broader local transport planning and to decide whether or not they would be appropriate to their area. We will give capital bids for such schemes careful consideration, taking account of value for money, regional priorities and affordability. We approved £18.7 million funding for a yellow bus scheme serving 100 schools in West Yorkshire as part of the local transport settlement for 2004–05. Funding for this project is to be released in three phases—the second and third phases of funding are to be released subject to the first phase meeting its objectives with respect to modal switch from car.
	In addition, the School Transport Bill will enable a small number of local authorities to develop innovative proposals to reduce car dependency on the school run. We expect pilot authorities to use the new legislation to support arrangements that offer a range of good quality, cost effective arrangements to the family car on the home to school journey which may include yellow or other dedicated school bus schemes.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Devolution

Anne Begg: To ask the Advocate-General what recent devolution issues have been raised with her in connection with the seizure of the assets of convicted drug dealers.

Lynda Clark: I received intimation of six cases involving the seizure of assets of convicted drugs dealers in 2004. Three were civil actions for the recovery of proceeds of crime under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and three were applications for confiscation orders in criminal proceedings, following conviction, under the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues she has considered since 30 November 2004.

Lynda Clark: I would refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to questions numbers 16 to 19.

SCOTLAND

Lyons Review

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the impact of the Lyons Review in areas of Scotland not named in the King Sturge report; and what role his Department is playing in public sector job relocation to Scotland.

Anne McGuire: The King Sturge report was intended to be used as a guide to departments when considering relocation away from Whitehall and is not definitive. My right hon. Friend has made the advantages of Scotland as a location clear to other Departments and has encouraged them to consider Scotland when they assess relocation options. My hon. Friend will be aware that we are scheduled to meet to discuss this matter further.

Child Trust Fund

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implementation in Scotland of the child trust fund.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend discusses a wide range of issues with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In June last year my right hon. Friend launched the Child Trust roadshow in Scotland for potential financial providers.

Child Trust Fund

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the roll out of the child trust fund in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for West Renfrewshire (Jim Sheridan).

Small Business (Regulation)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet representatives of Scottish small businesses to discuss central Government regulation.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office maintains contact will all key business organisations in Scotland at both ministerial and official levels. Furthermore, I am a member of the Small Business Consultative Group that is convened and chaired by the Scottish Executive. This group last met on 13 December 2004 and a specialist sub group looking in greater depth at regulation will meet on 12 January. Representatives from small businesses will be present as well as officials from the Scotland Office at this meeting.

Cross-border Health Issues

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the First Minister to discuss cross-border health issues.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend regularly meets with the First Minister to discuss a range of matters.

Economic Growth Differentials

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on economic growth differentials between Scotland and other parts of the UK.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions on a range of matters with my right, hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Growth in Scotland has closely matched that of the UK in recent years and was higher as recently as 2003, while future prospects are good.

Energy Policy

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the renewable energy industry in Scotland on energy issues.

Alistair Darling: I have discussed the prospects for renewable energy in the course of various meetings and visits over recent months and saw a range of developments during my visit to Islay in November.

Fuel Poverty

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking in conjunction with the Scottish Executive to help alleviate fuel poverty in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: Tackling fuel poverty is one of the Government's and Scottish Executive's key priorities within their wider policies on energy and social inclusion.

Ferry Subsidies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to discuss the level of ferry subsidies with the Scottish Executive.

Alistair Darling: Assistance for ferry services within Scotland and the level of subsidy provided is a devolved matter for the Scottish Parliament and Executive.

Industry/University Links

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the First Minister on improving links between industry and universities.

Alistair Darling: I have frequent discussions with the First Minister on a range of topics. Enhancing links between industry and universities is recognised by both the Government and the Executive as means of helping to unlock competitive advantage.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Angola

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role UK officials had in the IMF monitoring exercise in Angola; and what advice they have offered to the Government of Angola.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Angola and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been engaged in talks for over a year about a staff monitored programme (SMP). Under an SMP, Angola would reach broad agreement on its macroeconomic policy approach, but without any linked IMF lending programme. An SMP is normally used by countries to demonstrate their track record of sound macroeconomic management in order to assist in achieving an international financial and investment standing. A key issue for Angola will be to ensure that all its revenues are captured in their budgets.
	It is not yet clear that the political will exists in Angola to come to terms with the IMF. In the recent past, two programmes failed shortly after they had been agreed. The IMF is keen to avoid this happening again. A further IMF mission to discuss the Angola SMP will probably take place in January.
	UK officials have no direct involvement in the IMF missions although we are strongly encouraging the Government of Angola to do all it can to respond to the IMF's requests, and reach agreement on a programme. DFID has funded some work on oil revenue transparency in coordination with the World Bank which the IMF have found useful in their discussions on the fiscal position. Furthermore, DFID has advised the Government of Angola that DFID is willing to provide technical assistance to ensure the successful implementation of an IMF programme.

CDC/Actis Capital

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much private investment capital CDC/Actis Capital has attracted for private sector businesses in developing countries in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004 as a result of its own investment activities in these countries.

Hilary Benn: Details of the third party funds raised by CDC, Actis and Aureos in 2002–04 are shown in the following tables.
	
		2002
		
			 Aureos Central America Fund 
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 10.0 
			 European development finance institutions (2) 15.0 
			 International development banks (2) 11.3 
			 Total committed capital 36.3 
		
	
	
		2003
		
			 Aureos West Africa Fund 
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 15.4 
			 European development finance institutions (3) 28.9 
			 International private institutions (1) 2.7 
			 Local financial institutions (2) 3.0 
			 Total committed capital 50.0 
		
	
	
		Aureos East Africa Fund
		
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 8.0 
			 European development finance institutions (4) 25.5 
			 International development banks (1) 4.0 
			 Local financial institutions (2) 2.5 
			 Total committed capital 40.0 
		
	
	
		Aureos Southern Africa Fund
		
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 15.0 
			 European development finance institutions (3) 29.0 
			 International development banks (1) 6.0 
			 Total committed capital 50.0 
		
	
	
		2004
		
			 Actis Malaysia Fund LP 
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 40.0 
			 Pension schemes (1) 20.0 
			 Total committed capital 60.0 
		
	
	
		Aureos South East Asia Fund
		
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 20.0 
			 European development finance institutions (1) 20.0 
			 Total committed capital 40.0 
		
	
	
		Actis China Fund
		
			 Investors US$ million 
		
		
			 CDC 75.0 
			 International development banks (1) 25.0 
			 Total committed capital 100.0 
		
	
	At project level, companies in which CDC invests will typically attract greater private co-investment and have enhanced access to commercial borrowing.

CDC/Actis Capital

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will list investments CDC/Actis Capital has made in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004 by (i) amount, (ii) country and (iii) percentage of the total CDC/Actis Capital portfolio;
	(2)  what percentage of its disbursements CDC/Actis Capital has invested in (a) least developed, (b) other low-income, (c) low and middle-income and (d) upper middle-income countries in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004.

Hilary Benn: CDC's investments in 2002–04 by country, amount and percentage of the portfolio were as follows:
	
		2002
		
			   £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 1 Peru, Argentina and Chile 48.3 6.0 
			 2 Latin America and SE Asia 17.7 2.2 
			 3 Dominican Republic 17.3 2.1 
			 4 Africa, Asia and Latin America 14.8 1.8 
			 5 Pan South Asia 8.8 1.1 
			 6 El Salvador 6.6 0.8 
			 7 Kenya 5.9 0.7 
			 8 Pakistan 5.5 0.7 
			 9 Egypt 5.5 0.7 
			 10 Indonesia/Papua New Guinea 5.3 0.7 
			 11 India 5.1 0.6 
			 12 India 4.4 0.5 
			 13 Mexico 3.7 0.5 
			 14 Bolivia 3.4 0.4 
			 15 India 3.3 0.4 
			 16 Costa Rica 3.2 0.4 
			 17 China 2.8 0.4 
			 18 Pakistan 2.2 0.3 
			 19 Guyana 1.9 0.2 
			 20 Mozambique 1.9 0.2 
			 21 Sri Lanka 1.6 0.2 
			 22 Zambia 1.3 0.2 
			 23 Nicaragua 1.3 0.2 
			 24 Southern Africa 1.0 0.1 
			 25 Others (each under £1 million) 13.5 1.7 
			  Total new investments in 2002 186.3 23.1 
			  Total CDC portfolio at 31 December 2002 805.1 — 
		
	
	
		2003
		
			   £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 1 Bangladesh 83.6 9.4 
			 2 Tanzania 56.0 6.3 
			 3 India 19.1 2.1 
			 4 South Africa 18.8 2.1 
			 5 Algeria 15.8 1.8 
			 6 Kenya 10.1 1.1 
			 7 South Africa 9.8 1.1 
			 8 China 6.8 0.8 
			 9 Costa Rica 6.5 0.7 
			 10 South Africa 5.0 0.6 
			 11 El Salvador 3.6 0.4 
			 12 Tanzania 3.6 0.4 
			 13 South Africa 3.0 0.3 
			 14 Tanzania 2.5 0.3 
			 15 China 2.0 0.2 
			 16 Uganda 1.9 0.2 
			 17 Pan Africa 1.8 0.2 
			 18 Sri Lanka 1.7 0.2 
			 19 Costa Rica 1.4 0.2 
			 20 Zambia 1.4 0.2 
			 21 Tanzania 1.1 0.1 
			 22 South Africa 1.0 0.1 
			 23 Others (each under £1 million) 4.0 0.4 
			  Total new investments in 2003 260.5 29.3 
			  Total CDC portfolio at 31 December 2003 888.6 — 
		
	
	
		2004
		
			   £ million Percentage 
		
		
			 1 Egypt 38.4 4.4 
			 2 Tanzania 26.1 3.0 
			 3 Nigeria 13.1 1.5 
			 4 Nigeria 11.2 1.3 
			 5 Bolivia 10.3 1.2 
			 6 India 7.9 0.9 
			 7 Pan Africa 7.5 0.9 
			 8 China 6.3 0.7 
			 9 Nigeria 6.1 0.7 
			 10 Malaysia 5.9 0.7 
			 11 South Africa 5.6 0.6 
			 12 China 5.5 0.6 
			 13 South Africa 5.3 0.6 
			 14 India 5.1 0.6 
			 15 Rwanda 2.6 0.3 
			 16 Burkina Faso 2.0 0.2 
			 17 Senegal 1.5 0.2 
			 18 Tanzania 1.2 0.1 
			 19 Cuba 1.1 0.1 
			 20 Nigeria 0.6 0.1 
			 21 Ghana 0.6 0.1 
			 22 Others (each under £1 million) 4.7 0.5 
			  Total new investments in 2004 168.6 19.1 
			  Total CDC portfolio at 31 December 2004 881.8 — 
		
	
	Under its Investment Policy, a copy of which I placed in the Library last year, CDC is required to invest solely in, or for the benefit of, the countries included in the "CDC Universe". This is made up of the countries classified as low-income or middle-income by the World Bank. It is required to report against two investment targets, to make at least 70 per cent. of its new investments each year in countries with an annual GNI of US$1,750 pc or less and at least 50 per cent. of its new investments in sub Saharan Africa or South Asia. On a 5-year rolling basis, CDC's performance against these targets is as follows:
	
		
			Percentage 
			 Investment Policy Target 2002 2003 2004(5507190003) 
		
		
			 70 per cent. ($1,750 GNI poor less) 75.4 74.6 76.8 
			 50 per cent. (sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia) 44.3 50.3 55.9 
		
	
	(5507190003) Estimated—final figures not yet available
	Although CDC does not routinely report on investment by the country groups that you mention, the data given above shows that CDC's annual investments may be attributed as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage £ million 
		
		
			 2002   
			 Low Income countries 30.3 56.4 
			 (of which £3.2 million was in Least Developed Countries)   
			 Low Middle Income Countries 41.4 77.1 
			 Upper Middle Income Countries 28.3 52.8 
			 2003   
			 Low Income countries 69.9 182.1 
			 (of which £86.9 million was in Least Developed Countries)   
			 Low Middle Income Countries 27.1 70.5 
			 Upper Middle Income Countries 3 7.9 
			
			 2004   
			 Low Income countries 49.9 84.2 
			 (of which £6.1 million was in Least Developed Countries)   
			 Low Middle Income Countries 46.6 78.5 
			 Upper Middle Income Countries 3.5 5.9

India

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had with the Indian Government concerning sex discrimination in India.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: holding answer 21 December 2004
	The Government of India (GoI) recognises that gender discrimination limits the prospects for development progress in India. It has a well-articulated policy and clearly mandated institutional structures, including the current tenth plan, for addressing gender discrimination. India has also played a lead role in ratifying gender-related UN conventions and international covenants.
	However, a falling ratio of girls to boys, in rich and poor states, and among better off and poorer households, reflects continuing discrimination against women and girls. Violence against women and girls persists. The GoI recognises this in its reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The GoI has included several Bills related to improving the status of women in its forthcoming parliamentary session.
	Over the last two years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has engaged closely with the GoI on the design of the large national Sarva Shikshya Abhyan (Education-for-All) and reproductive and child health programmes, developing their focus on the most vulnerable and hard to reach people in India, especially those who suffer multiple discrimination and social exclusion, particularly girls and women among marginalised groups. Approaches to improving outcomes for women and girls are explicitly included in the agreed designs. The GoI measures success in these programmes against progress towards gender equality.
	DFID also engages with Governments in its focus states on issues of discrimination and ensuring that women participate in design and monitoring of programmes. This state level work includes focused programmes that empower and address the practical needs and priorities of women and other marginalised groups, such as through micro-credit, development of gender policies, awareness raising and livelihood improvements, e.g. through the Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods and the Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods programmes. In 2003, DFID supported analysis of the Orissa budget from a gender perspective; key sectors, including the Orissa state health strategy and water and sanitation reforms, now seek to take account of the particular needs of women and girls.
	DFID worked with the United Nations Development Programme in India to include gender analysis in their support for state Human Development Reports. Discussions of access to justice and support for police reforms have both paid particular attention to the needs of women. In all programmes with the GoI that DFID supports, we seek to have monitoring and evaluation data disaggregated by gender in order to inform policy decisions. DFID also supports civil society to work with government to reduce gender discrimination.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he has taken since his letter of 24 August to the hon. Member for Linlithgow to help restoration of the marshes of southern Iraq.

Hilary Benn: DFID maintains close contact with the United Nations Environment Programme on a range of environmental issues in Iraq. United Nations agencies are providing support for environmental management in the Iraqi marshlands and for Iraqi refugees returning to marshland areas. Other bilateral donors are also offering assistance for marshland restoration. DFID's own programme in southern Iraq focuses on employment generation, infrastructure rehabilitation and support for local government.

Iraq

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid has been provided in support of heritage protection in Iraq; and what form that aid has taken.

Hilary Benn: DFID spent £80,000 to fund a Culture and Tourism adviser to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq from January to May 2004. The adviser took forward projects to protect archaeological sites and re-establish traditional festivals in the southern governorates of Iraq. He also produced a sector report on tourism and culture which has now been adopted by the Iraqi Interim Ministers for Tourism and for Culture.
	The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is working with the Iraqi National Museum and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities on projects to protect Iraqi cultural heritage amounting to over $2 million. UNESCO is conducting training courses for Iraqi officials on archaeological protection and Iraqi cultural heritage preservation.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the plans are for the replacement of food rationing in Iraq by cash subsidy; what the reasons are for the proposed change; what measures are proposed to protect the vulnerable from the potential adverse effects of such a change; what assessment has been made of the possibility of changes in the crime rate resulting from the proposed change; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Iraq has said that it is committed over the medium term, to enhancing the effectiveness of social safety nets in Iraq by moving from a food ration system, which handed out virtually free food to the entire population of Iraq, to a cash distribution system targeted at the poor and unemployed. The aim will be to help domestic agriculture, encourage private trade and remove price distortions, at the same time as ensuring that families in need are properly safeguarded. The details have yet to be determined, and are expected to be followed up by the Iraqi Transitional Government after the forthcoming elections. We support the reform in principle. DFID staff and advisers will continue to maintain contact with the Iraqi authorities, and with interested international organisations including the IMF, the World Bank and the World Food Programme, to ensure that the interests of poor and vulnerable families in Iraq are protected. A well-managed reform process should not have any adverse impact on levels of crime in Iraq.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Tooting (Tom Cox) of 13 December 2004, Official Report, columns 819–20W, on Iraq, where the interim Iraqi Government and United States forces stockpiled the supplies of water, food and medicine prior to the military operation.

Hilary Benn: The Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) and United States Marines report that they had stockpiled essential supplies in the city of Fallujah prior to military action. The Marines also kept supplies at a nearby base which were brought into the city as necessary. The IIG ministries also report that extra supplies were available in Baghdad, for transfer to Fallujah in trucks by the Iraqi Ministry of Health; they also positioned essential supplies in the area surrounding Fallujah.

Iraq

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the joint proposal of the Iraqi Interim Authority and the International Monetary Fund to replace the food ration to Iraqi families with a conditional cash payment;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with (a) the Iraqi Interim Government and (b) the International Monetary Fund on their joint proposal to replace the food ration to Iraqi families with a conditional cash payment.

Hilary Benn: I will write to the hon. Member for North-West Leicestershire shortly.

Namibia

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the nature of European Development Fund support for Namibia.

Hilary Benn: The current European Development Fund programme in Namibia is worth a total of £91 million over the six year period 2002–07. A country strategy, focussing on rural development and human resource development, was agreed between the European Commission and the Government of Namibia in June 2002.
	A review of the programme, carried out last year, concluded that the size and focal areas of the programme remained appropriate. The review was approved by the European Development Fund Committee in October 2004.
	A new €53 million Rural Poverty Reduction Programme was also approved by the Committee in October 2004.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Stored Works of Art

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost is of storing the paintings and works of art held by the House.

Archy Kirkwood: Items from the House collection not on display are kept in two basement storerooms, at no additional cash cost to the House. When works are displaced during the summer works programme, larger paintings are occasionally stored with specialist companies for which the House pays a fee.

Parliamentary Education Unit

Alan Whitehead: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to support the expansion of the Parliamentary Education Unit to cope with demand for educational visits.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission agreed in November to fund an additional staff post within the Education Unit to focus on outreach to young people, with a principal focus of the job being on building links with local education authorities, as recommended by the Modernisation Committee. The Commission looks forward to considering well founded proposals for the expansion of the Unit's work. It has also asked for further exploration of the possibility of extension of the current autumn visits programme run by the Unit to run all year round.

Parliamentary Education Unit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to support the expansion of the Parliamentary Education Unit to cope with demand for educational visits.

Archy Kirkwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr. Whitehead).

Kettles

Anthony Steen: To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his Answer of 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1225W, on kettles, whether a comparative assessment was made of the health and safety risks posed by kettles and cisterns of boiling water; and if he will arrange for the issue of rubber gloves to all kitchens in the Parliamentary Estate to protect against the danger of scalding.

Archy Kirkwood: An assessment has been made of the comparative health and safety risks posed by kettles and hot water boilers. Boilers are considered to be safer. It is not considered practical to issue rubber gloves in all kitchens, but the option of new cool touch taps is being investigated.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Documents are stored either close to where they are used or by an off-site storage contractor. Material of no value as a record is disposed of, preferably by recycling, as soon as it is no longer required. Documents that form part of the official record are stored until they reach the end of their retention periods or they are selected for permanent preservation and transferred to The National Archives. When they are no longer required, official records are disposed of by shredding or other appropriate means and paper is recycled where practicable. Retention periods are determined on the basis of business need and guidance issued by The National Archives. Further details can be found at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordsmanagement/. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's policy on the storage and disposal of records has not changed in the past 12 months.

Fire Control Rooms

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the relationship between the change in the number of emergency fire controls and the Government's policy on regional government.

Nick Raynsford: There is no relationship. The plan to replace the existing 46 control rooms in England with nine regional control centres is being implemented for reasons of resilience and public safety.

Fire Service

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  at what point he intends to use his reserve powers to impose a national negotiating structure for fire service pay;
	(2)  what progress is being made towards agreement on a new national negotiating structure for fire service pay.

Nick Raynsford: Government hopes that reform of negotiating machinery for the Fire and Rescue Service can be achieved by agreement between the employers and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). I understand that negotiations about reform were re-opened by the employers late last year. As stated at Committee stage of the Fire and Rescue Services Bill (now Act) 2004, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not want to put an arbitrary time limit on these difficult and complex discussions. Government will seek an up-date on the negotiations later this month.

IT (Disciplinary Procedures)

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff in his Department have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following Machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
	Since then the number of staff who faced disciplinary procedures for breaches of IT policy in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, its Agencies and Government Offices was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 0 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 5 
		
	
	Official warnings are included in and form part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's disciplinary procedures.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much total Government grant per capita has been given to each local authority in England, including fire authorities, in each year since 1997.

Nick Raynsford: The available information has been made available in the Library of the House.

Older People's Champions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the councils which have introduced older people's champions.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	Those who champion the development of services on behalf of older people do so on a voluntary basis and there is no requirement for councils to tell us whether they have an older people's champion or not. However, from our day-to-day contact with local authorities and an informal database set up for those champions who wish to share their experiences, we believe that most councils do have at least one older people's champion.

Phone Masts

Ben Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Campaign to Protect Rural England about mobile phone masts.

Keith Hill: In September 2004 I received a letter from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) which included a copy of "Telecommunications Development—A CPRE Briefing". CPRE wrote in similar terms to the Director for Planning and the policy team leader responsible for planning policies for telecommunication developments. The policy team leader also met with CPRE representatives to discuss their concerns.

Planning Appeals

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the reasons for the recent increase in the number of planning appeals.

Keith Hill: In February 2004 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published research commissioned from Arups on "Investigating the Increasing Volume of Planning Appeals in England".
	This work and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's own assessments lead us to conclude that rising numbers of planning applications taken together with some increase in refusal rates have been the main statistical factors behind the increase in the number of planning appeals. There is a strong perception that the reduction in the period for submitting an appeal from six months to three months has led to applicants submitting appeals without first making any attempt to negotiate an amended application with the local planning authority and that this has also contributed to the rise in appeal numbers. I announced on 16 December that it was our intention to extend the period for submitting planning appeals from three to six months, which would have the effect of reversing the change which was introduced in September 2003. The orders giving effect to that change were laid before Parliament on 22 December 2004.

Planning Policy Statement 6

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to publish the consultation responses to the draft Planning Policy Statement 6 issued in December 2003.

Keith Hill: The consultation responses to draft Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres will be made available in the Library of the House, when the final version of Planning Policy Statement 6 is published.

Planning Policy Statement 6

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department has received a response from the Small Business Service to the draft Planning Policy Statement 6 issued in December 2003; and whether a small firms impact assessment has been undertaken in connection with PPS6.

Keith Hill: The Small Business Service submitted comments on draft Planning Policy Statement 6 on 3 March 2004. A small firms impact test has been carried out and the results will form part of the final Regulatory Impact Assessment which will published once the final version of Planning Policy Statement 6 has been published.

Planning Policy Statement 6

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to publish Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to publish Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres in the spring.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay grade.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband) on 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1640W.

Stolen Property

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants from his Office have (a) faced disciplinary proceedings as a result of allegations of theft, (b) been charged with theft and (c) been dismissed following theft allegations in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following Machinery of Government changes in May 2002.
	Since then the number of staff who faced disciplinary action, were charged, dismissed and convicted in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, its Agencies and Government Offices was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 1

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Voter Registration

John Pugh: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what effect the introduction of rolling electoral registration has had on voter registration.

Christopher Leslie: I am not aware that any study has to date been carried out into the effect of rolling registration on voter registration. However, the independent Electoral Commission is currently undertaking research into the extent and nature of non-registration in Great Britain, which I understand includes assessing the impact of rolling registration on levels of voter registration. The Commission expects to publish its findings by summer this year, which the Government will wish to consider carefully.

Voter Registration

John Pugh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research the Department has conducted into the ways in which young people and students register as voters.

Christopher Leslie: My Department is currently carrying out research into the propensity of young people to register to vote. We expect the results to be available later this year.

Freedom of Information Act

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Christopher Leslie: The Government promised Freedom of Information legislation in our manifesto, and I am delighted that the new Act is now fully operational. It is still early days in the life of these new access rights for the public, but I am confident that there will be a real difference with this statutory "right to know".

Legal Services Commission

Jim Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps are being taken to improve the quality of legal services for immigration cases funded by the Legal Services Commission.

David Lammy: Both the Secretary of State and the Legal Services Commission want to drive up the quality of publicly funded advice given in asylum and immigration cases. This is in the interest of taxpayers and those who use the service. The Legal Services Commission will require all practitioners providing publicly funded services to have appropriate accreditation from 1 April this year. Accreditation requires the practitioner to show that he or she has the right skills and knowledge to do the job.

Fast-track Criminal Cases

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discretion criminal courts have to fast-track specific cases.

Christopher Leslie: Subject to certain constraints, the Crown court and each magistrates court have discretion to fast-track specific cases where there are factors which justify so doing.

Law Society (Disciplinary Issues)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Law Society about disciplinary issues.

David Lammy: When I last visited the offices of the Law Society's Consumer Complaints Service (CCS) on 11 May 2004, I had detailed discussions with the society on how they are improving standards for consumers, including disciplinary and enforcement issues.

Legal Aid (ASBOs)

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for legal aid have been (a) applied for and (b) granted (i) to resist the imposition of and (ii) to appeal against antisocial behaviour orders.

David Lammy: The number of applications is not known since practitioners are not required to keep records of refused applications. Neither is the number of granted applications known since the Legal Services Commission's information/systems have until now not recorded information on ASBOs separately. However, antisocial behaviour orders are growing in numbers and the Commission are updating their systems so that from March 2005 this information will be collected.

Mental Capacity Bill

James Gray: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions he has had with the Roman Catholic Church about the Mental Capacity Bill.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) today.

Legal Aid

Adrian Flook: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the outturn of legal aid expenditure against the Budget has been in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Expenditure on the legal aid fund, between 1997–98 and 2003–04, was in cash terms, as follows:
	1997–98: £27 million below budget of £1,553 million
	1998–99: £12 million below budget of £1,635 million
	1999–2000: £61 million below budget of £1,612 million
	2000–01: £29 million below budget of £1,693 million
	2001–02: £22 million over budget of £1,694 million
	2002–03: £37 million over budget of £1,871 million
	2003–04: £16 million over budget of £2,061 million
	When the legal aid budget overspent, resources were transferred from other areas of LCD or DCA, to make up the difference.

Legal Aid

Ross Cranston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of interest generated on solicitors' client accounts which are not returned to clients in the last year for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the practical problems of introducing a policy of using this interest to fund legal aid.

David Lammy: My Department has not conducted any specific research into the likely amount of interest generated on solicitors' client accounts which are not returned to clients, but other sources (new Law Journal, December 17 1993) estimated a figure of £60 million per year in 1993. It was recognised, however, that this would be dependent on the rate of interest to be applied, and also the extent to which solicitors must account the interest to clients. I am aware that many other countries use this interest to fund public legal services. No formal assessment has been made of the practical problems of using such interest to fund legal aid in England and Wales.

Departmental Files

Julian Lewis: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many departmental files have been destroyed in each of the past five years.

Christopher Leslie: In accordance with its normal policies and disposal schedules, the Department, excluding the Court Service, has destroyed the following number of files in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  Records 
		
		
			 2000 2,114 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1,159 
			 2003 1,122 
			 2004 (1 January-30 September) 4,306 
		
	
	The increased number of destructions in 2004 was due to a requirement to clear a backlog which had developed. The need to deal with this became imperative in March 2004 when the Court Service and the DCAHQ and Associated Offices Registries were amalgamated.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 the Lord Chancellor's special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 782W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

E-mails

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.

Richard Caborn: The DCMS policy is that e-mails which show evidence of actions or decisions or other value added information, and are for public record, must be printed out and added to the traditional paper file. Once printed out and added to file, or archived electronically, such e-mails are to be deleted immediately from the day-to-day e-mail folder. In order to prevent the build-up of e-mails (which would cause the IT system to crash) staff are to undertake a daily clear out of all of the messages that are no longer required. All e-mails are automatically deleted after 12 months (on the assumption that e-mails for the public record will have been printed out and added to the paper file as mentioned).
	No additional instructions have been given to DCMS staff regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005. However, in the context of readying DCMS records to ensure they are in good order and speedily and efficiently accessible to enable compliance with our statutory duty (from 1 January 2005) to respond to requests for information, staff have been reminded of the DCMS deletion policy.

Freedom of Information

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department were employed to deal with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004; and how many staff are budgeted to deal with Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

Richard Caborn: No additional staffing were deployed on Freedom of Information work in 2001 and 2002. For 2003, one whole-time equivalent was deployed with this increasing to 1.5 whole-time equivalent for 2005. This level is expected to continue through 2005 and 2006. This is supported by a local support network made up of existing staff
	In 2004, additional resourcing requirements for IT and legal issues have been met through use of externally contracted personnel.

Live Music

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what methodology was used in MORI's Survey of Live Music Staged in England and Wales in 2003–04 commissioned by her Department, with particular reference to the Minister for Sport's conclusion that an estimated 1.7 million gigs had been staged in the past year in bars, clubs and restaurants whose main business was not putting on live music.

Richard Caborn: A full description of the methodology used is provided in MORI's report Survey of Live Music Staged in England & Wales in 2003–04, which is available on the DCMS website at:
	<http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/research/research_by_dcms/live_music_exec_summary.htm.>
	I am arranging for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	For the sample, categories of venues were selected that did not appear to be reliant upon live music provision for their existence. MORI arrived at their estimate of 1.7 million live music events by calculating the average number of events being staged at each venue type in the sample, and then multiplying this figure by the total estimated number of venues in each category within England and Wales. Venues sampled were asked how many live events they had staged in the past 12 months, and were offered a series of ranges to choose from (e.g. 8–10,11–20, 21–31, 32–40, 40+). To calculate an average, MORI sensibly took the mid point for each range on the assumption that, on a normal distribution, they would expect roughly an equal proportion to fall above and below this.
	For respondents who said that their venue had staged 40+ live events over the past 12 months, MORI assumed an average of 60 live events each year—a realistic, if perhaps slightly conservative, estimate given that the number of such events each year could range between 41 and 150 (given three live music nights a week). In the unlikely scenario that all venues in the 41+ category only staged 41 live events in the past year, MORI calculated that the estimated number of live music events would be 1.3 million.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Equipment

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many items of electrical equipment were used by her Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item.

David Miliband: It is not possible to provide the information requested as it is not held in this detail and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

IT (Disciplinary Procedures)

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff in the Cabinet Office have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The number of Cabinet Office staff who faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of Information Technology (IT) policy in the years 1998 to 2004 inclusive are shown in the table. All these staff received an official warning. Data for 1997 is not available.
	
		Breaches of IT policy
		
			  Number of staff who faced disciplinary procedures 
		
		
			 1998 4 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 10 
			 2001 5 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 4

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the most recent representations are which he has made directly to the Burmese military regime regarding atrocities by the Burmese military against the (a) Karen, (b) Karenni and (c) Shan people.

Douglas Alexander: I have not had any direct contact with the Burmese military regime in Rangoon.
	I met the Burmese ambassador on 29 November and pressed for political reform in Burma, full respect for human rights and for all groups in Burma, including ethnic nationalities, to play a full part in national reconciliation.
	We will continue to raise our concerns.

Colombia

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Government of Colombia and (b) the Government of the Irish Republic on assisting in returning to Colombia the IRA/Sinn Fein members convicted there.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 10 January 2005
	None. This is a matter between the Irish and Colombian Governments. It would be inappropriate for the UK to intervene.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Department spent on lawyers in each year since 1997; how many (a) actions, (b) settlements and (c) court cases there were in each year and what the costs of each settlement were.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office incurred the following costs instructing Treasury Solicitors and counsel through Treasury Solicitors in each year since 1997:
	
		
			 Financial year Cases worked on in year Total (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 96 176,267.56 
			 1998–99 93 218,737.88 
			 1999–2000 101 245,547.42 
			 2000–01 92 225,325.71 
			 2001–02 99 268,135.22 
			 2002–03 90 936,839.43 
			 2003–04 91 419,765.91 
			 2004–05 91 407,330.34 
			 Total — 2,897,949.47 
		
	
	The figures are further broken down for employment tribunal cases as set out in the following table. A further breakdown of the total figure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Tribunal 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Equal Pay — — — — 1 — — 
			 Sex Discrimination 1 — 3 — 2 1 2 
			 Race Discrimination 1 3 4 — — 1 1 
			 Disability Discrimination — — 2 2 — — — 
			 Unfair Dismissal 2 1 3 3 6 5 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Costs (£) 
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Awarded against FCO 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Awarded against applicants 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Cases settled 10,000 2,000.00 13,360 500.00 38,750 500.00 0.00 
			 Litigation — — 26,905.54 107,743.74 56,244.05 56,122.71 24,469.63 
			 Total cost per year 10,000.00 2,000.00 40,265.54 108,243.74 94,994.05 56,622.71 24,469.63 
		
	
	Figures for the costs of other legal services could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This answer is limited to cases handled by Treasury Solicitors, this being the only readily available information. There are no centrally maintained records for payments for other legal services obtained by various parts of the Office. Information on the costs of these services could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Records on individual Employment Tribunal cases are available since 1998 but cost information on individual cases has only been held since 2000.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Douglas Alexander: The total cost of travel within the UK for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the years requested is as follows:
	
		
			 FY £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 869,842.26 
			 1998–99 815,173.24 
			 1999–2000 966,637.06 
			 2000–01 1,048,670.89 
			 2001–02 1,055,879.66 
			 2002–03 1,238,242.38 
			 2003–04 1,428,115.92 
		
	
	Information kept is not broken down into the specific categories requested and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Douglas Alexander: The total cost of overseas travel for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the years requested is as follows:
	
		
			 FY £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 8,958,084.29 
			 1998–99 10,279,393.92 
			 1999–2000 9,484,426.58 
			 2000–01 9,866,667.15 
			 2001–02 11,446,108.54 
			 2002–03 10,061,979.87 
			 2003–04 10,354,531.27 
		
	
	Information held is not broken down into the specific categories requested and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of emails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files and documents in accordance with its administrative needs, the requirements of the Public Records Act and its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.
	E-mails and documents that form part of the official record are kept for as long as business needs require and are stored corporately in accordance with FCO records management procedures.
	There has been no change to this policy in the past 12 months, apart from a reduction in the period of retention for consular case files, which was cut in 2004 from six to three years after last action, to ensure FCO compliance with Principle 7 of the Data Protection Act.

Eritrea

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Eritrean Government concerning the imprisonment of 400 people for their Christian faith.

Chris Mullin: We raise the issue of religious freedom with the Eritrean Government regularly. I raised the matter with President Isaias in Asmara during my visit there last January and our ambassador raised it most recently on 13 December. We will continue to make clear our concern.

Hostages (Afghanistan)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement the Government had in the recent release of three UN workers in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: The Afghan authorities and United Nations officials led the effort to gain the hostages' safe release. We worked closely with them throughout. HMG do not negotiate with terrorists/kidnappers but we are willing to talk on humanitarian grounds and listen to what they have to say (as indicated by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary during the kidnap of Kenneth Bigley in September).

Mangla Dam

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the President of Pakistan on the possible adverse effects on local people of the extension of the Mangla Dam.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no immediate plans to raise the issue of the Mangla Dam with the President of Pakistan.
	This project is a matter for the Pakistani authorities. However, we understand the concerns involved and welcome the commitment of the Pakistani government to help all those who are likely to be adversely affected by the project.

Pakistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of Pakistan on honour killings.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 21 December 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not recently raised the issue of honour killings in Pakistan with President Musharraf.
	On 17 December the EU Presidency, on behalf of all EU partners, raised with the Government of Pakistan the issue of honour killings in the context of an EU demarche on human rights issues. We have welcomed President Musharraf's statements denouncing honour killings and the Bill passed by the Pakistan National Assembly in October 2004 which addressed certain aspects of honour killings.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay grade.

Jack Straw: Two. Both in pay band 3.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave to him on 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1640W.

Torture

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to regard as not valid information which he believes to have been obtained by torture.

Jack Straw: The UK vehemently opposes torture as a matter of fundamental principle. The UK intelligence and security agencies carefully evaluate the intelligence they receive against a range of factors; any concerns about the source of the intelligence or the means by which it may have been obtained would be taken into account. Where we are helping other countries to develop their own counter-terrorism capability, we ensure that our training or other assistance promotes human rights compliance.

UK Trade and Investment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) administration and (b) administration capital resources were consumed by his Department in meeting UK Trade and Investment's objectives of (i) enhancing competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment and (ii) ensuring a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment in 2004–05; and what provision has been made for 2005–06.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's administration and administration capital provisions to meet UK Trade and Investment's objectives for the current financial year (2004–05) amount to £144 million. UK Trade and Investment's Resource Accounts for 2003–04 (the last year available) record that the combined amounts of FCO administration and administration capital consumed in meeting UK Trade and Investment's objectives were:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 To enhance competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment 131.7 
			 To ensure a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment 12.1 
			 Total 143.8 
		
	
	The out-turn figures for 2004–05 are expected to be similar. The provision for 2005–06 will be basically similar, and will reflect the conditions attached to UK Trade and Investment's SR 2004 settlement to increase the proportion of expenditure in relation to the second of these objectives.

West Papua

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in West Papua.

Douglas Alexander: We have raised the question of human rights in Papua with the Indonesian Government, most recently during the visit by Dr. Michael Williams, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's Special Adviser to Indonesia in December 2004. We believe the new Government is actively seeking to resolve the conflict. We are aware of reports of human rights abuses in Papua. We will continue to monitor the situation.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bankruptcies have been registered in each year in the UK since 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of bankruptcies registered each year in the UK, and by country, is given in the following table:
	
		
			  UK Total England and Wales Scotland (Sequestrations) Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 1990 16,694 12,058 4,350 286 
			 1991 30,664 22,632 7,665 367 
			 1992 43,357 32,106 10,845 406 
			 1993 38,318 31,016 6,828 474 
			 1994 28,254 25,634 2,182 438 
			 1995 24,520 21,933 2,188 399 
			 1996 24,721 21,803 2,503 415 
			 1997 22,787 19,892 2,502 393 
			 1998 23,057 19,647 3,016 394 
			 1999 25,207 21,611 3,195 401 
			 2000 24,862 21,550 2,965 347 
			 2001 26,817 23,477 3,048 292 
			 2002 27,841 24,292 3,215 334 
			 2003 31,865 28,021 3,328 516

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of individuals affected by the transitional provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 that permit a three year grace period from 1 April 2004 in which creditors can pursue the assets of bankrupts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The three-year period referred to relates only to interests in a bankrupt's home, not to all assets.
	The number of bankrupts or former bankrupts whose cases remained with the Official Receiver as trustee as at 1 April 2004 and involved an interest in bankrupt's home was approximately 6,500. However, at that time there would also have been cases of this type in which insolvency practitioners had been appointed as trustee. Several such appointments would have dated back some considerable time and it is not possible to estimate how many such cases there might have been.

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individuals with assets on the realisation register of the Official Receiver were pursued for their assets in each year since 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no overall realisation register as such kept by the Official Receiver, as details are recorded against each individual case.
	However, there is a register of "protracted realisations", i.e. assets owned by insolvents which cannot be realised immediately or within a short period after the making of a bankruptcy or winding-up order. The vast majority of assets which are put on to this register are interests in bankrupts' home and pension policies.
	Prior to 1999 protracted realisations registers were kept by individual Official Receivers. In 1999 those registers were amalgamated into one register, which was then maintained by a newly set-up unit, the Protracted Realisations Unit. At that stage there were 33,139 entries on the amalgamated register.
	While it is not possible to be precise, the vast majority of register entries at that time would have been made from 1990 onwards. Since 1999 a further 14,820 entries have been made on the register held by the Protracted Realisations Unit.
	It is not possible from the records held to break the entries down into individual years of entry.
	Very few realisations were made in the years between 1990 and 1999 of assets on the protracted realisations registers held by Official Receivers. The purpose of setting up the Protracted Realisations Unit was to allow the Insolvency Service to take a proactive approach towards dealing with those assets. In many instances this has involved the appointment of an insolvency practitioner as trustee to carry out the realisation. Since 1999 the number of cases passed to insolvency practitioners for realisation or dealt with by the Protracted Realisations Unit itself is 30,812.
	It is not possible to give realisation details for individual years from 1990 or to say in each year how many individuals were involved.

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individuals had assets placed on the realisation register of the Official Receiver in each year since 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no overall realisation register as such kept by the Official Receiver, as details are recorded against each individual case.
	However, there is a register of "protracted realisations", i.e. assets owned by insolvents which cannot be realised immediately or within a short period after the making of a bankruptcy or winding-up order. The vast majority of assets which are put on to this register are interests in bankrupts' home and pension policies.
	Prior to 1999 protracted realisations registers were kept by individual Official Receivers. In 1999 those registers were amalgamated into one register, which was then maintained by a newly set-up unit, the Protracted Realisations Unit. At that stage there were 33,139 entries on the amalgamated register.
	While it is not possible to be precise, the vast majority of register entries at that time would have been made from 1990 onwards. Since 1999 a further 14,820 entries have been made on the register held by the Protracted Realisations Unit.
	It is not possible from the records held to break the entries down into individual years of entry.

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the total number of entries on the realisation register of the Official Receiver have been realised in each year since 1990.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no overall realisation register as such kept by the Official Receiver, as details are recorded against each individual case.
	However, there is a register of "protracted realisations", ie assets owned by insolvents which cannot be realised immediately or within a short period after the making of a bankruptcy or winding-up order. The vast majority of assets which are put on to this register are interests in bankrupts' home and pension policies.
	Prior to 1999 protracted realisations registers were kept by individual Official Receivers. In 1999 those registers were amalgamated into one register, which was then maintained by a newly set-up unit, the Protracted Realisations Unit. At that stage there were 33,139 entries on the amalgamated register.
	While it is not possible to be precise, the vast majority of register entries at that time would have been made from 1990 onwards. Since 1999 a further 14,820 entries have been made on the register held by the Protracted Realisations Unit.
	It is not possible from the records held to break the entries down into individual years of entry.
	Very few realisations were made in the years between 1990 and 1999 of assets on the protracted realisations registers held by Official Receivers. The purpose of setting up the Protracted Realisations Unit was to allow the Insolvency Service to take a proactive approach towards dealing with those assets. In many instances this has involved the appointment of an insolvency practitioner as trustee to carry out the realisation. Since 1999 the number of cases passed to insolvency practitioners for realisation or dealt with by the Protracted Realisations Unit itself is 30,812.
	It is not possible to give realisation details for individual years from 1990.

Bankruptcies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what income the Official Receiver has received in each year since 1990 from the realisation of assets on the realisation register.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no overall realisation register as such kept by the Official Receiver, as details are recorded against each individual case.
	However, there is a register of "protracted realisations", ie assets owned by insolvents which cannot be realised immediately or within a short period after the making of a bankruptcy or winding-up order. The vast majority of assets which are put on to this register are interests in bankrupts' home and pension policies.
	Prior to 1999 protracted realisations registers were kept by individual Official Receivers. In 1999 those registers were amalgamated into one register, which was then maintained by a newly set-up unit, the Protracted Realisations Unit. At that stage there were 33,139 entries on the amalgamated register.
	While it is not possible to be precise, the vast majority of register entries at that time would have been made from 1990 onwards. Since 1999 a further 14,820 entries have been made on the register held by the Protracted Realisations Unit.
	It is not possible from the records held to break the entries down into individual years of entry.
	Very few realisations were made in the years between 1990 and 1999 of assets on the protracted realisations registers held by Official Receivers. The purpose of setting up the Protracted Realisations Unit was to allow the Insolvency Service to take a proactive approach towards dealing with those assets. In many instances this has involved the appointment of an insolvency practitioner as trustee to carry out the realisation. Since 1999 the number of cases passed to insolvency practitioners for realisation or dealt with by the Protracted Realisations Unit itself is 30,812.
	It is not possible to give realisation details for individual years from 1990 or to give the amounts of actual realisations, especially as many of these will have been made by insolvency practitioners rather than by the Official Receiver.

Business Support Initiatives

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2004, Official Report, column 465W, on Business Support Initiatives, how much financial assistance has been provided to companies through the (a) Passport to Export, (b) Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad and (c) Export Marketing Research Scheme products in each year since 2001–02; and what provision has been made for 2005–06.

Douglas Alexander: Assistance has been provided at the following levels:
	
		£ million
		
			  Passport SESA EMRS 
		
		
			 2001–02 3.98 20 0.68 
			 2002–03 4.4 19.5 0.61 
			 2003–04 4.5 20 0.62 
			 The forecast level of assistance in 2004–05 is: 
			 2004–05 5.5 20 0.70 
			 The provision for 2005–06 is: 
			 2005–06 6.2 16 0.70

Clergy (Employment Legislation)

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will take further steps to ensure that clergy are fully protected in respect of (a) race, (b) disability and (c) sex discrimination in relation to employment legislation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Most clergy are office holders rather than employees, so discrimination against them in the course of their work did not generally fall within the scope of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Race Relations Act 1976 or Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as originally drafted.
	In 2003, office holders were brought within the scope of the Race Relations Act, while in 2004, new provisions brought office holders within the scope of the Disability Discrimination Act. The Government proposes to bring office holders into the scope of the Sex Discrimination Act during 2005.
	By extending the scope of anti-discrimination legislation to cover office holders, the Government are ensuring that members of the clergy are protected by such legislation.

Clergy (Employment Legislation)

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the impact of the Genuine Occupation Qualification within the (a) Sex Discrimination Act 1975, (b) Race Relations Act 1976 and (c) Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on clergy office holders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No assessment has been made as regards the Race Relations Act 1976 and no such qualification exists in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. As regards the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, some research has been undertaken into the impact of the section 19 exception for the purposes of employment etc by organised religions and has found no instances of S19 being relied upon in the courts or tribunals. We intend to clarify the position further in the process of consulting on the extension of the Sex Discrimination Act to office holders later this year, as Government implements the Equal Treatment (Amendment) Directive.

EU Competition

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effect of European Court of Justice Case C-247/02, reference OJ C300 vol 47 of 4 December, on her Department's efforts to increase cross-EU competition in the awarding of public sector contracts by EU member states.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The judgement in the European Court of Justice Case C-247/02, reference OJ C300 vol. 47 of 4 December, confirms that award options for public sector contracts by EU member states of either accepting the lowest price or the most economically advantageous tender, provided by the EU procurement Directives, should not be overridden by national rules. In this particular case the judgement concluded that it was not permitted to have a national rule that imposed lowest price as the only award criteria for public contracts as this could have a negative impact on competition. The correct implementation of the EU Directives on public procurement is important as it facilitates fair and transparent competition across the EU.

Exeter University

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision on the Government's 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 14 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1053–54W.

Exeter University

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues in the Treasury about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 14 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1053–54W.

Exeter University

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department was informed by Exeter University about the proposed closure of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 14 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1053–54W.

Improvement Investment Grants

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what timetable has been established to draw down the outstanding balance in respect of improvement investment grants to Post Office Ltd.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Operation of the urban reinvention programme, including consideration of applications from sub postmasters for investment grant funding, is a matter for Post Office Ltd. The Department has not imposed a timetable for the use of this funding. It was always anticipated that there would be some time lag between closure decisions being announced and take up of investment grant funding. Post Office Ltd is seeing take up increase and expects further increases as the restructuring of the network continues and sub postmasters become more confident about their future prospects. Post Office Ltd has devoted additional resources to establish a separate team dedicated to promoting and supervising the implementation of investment required to upgrade remaining offices and fully expects to utilise the £30 million available.

Investment (Bedford/Kempston)

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to encourage greater inward investment in Bedford and Kempston.

Douglas Alexander: UK Trade and Investment is expanding its inward investment operation and will make further resources available to Invest East of England, which is the inward investment promotion agency for the East of England.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of claims by former miners claiming compensation for work-related illness and their families were fraudulent; and what proportion were (a) live and (b) posthumous claims.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 21 December 2004
	The two coal schemes have inherent internal controls to validate claims: the medical assessment processes for COPD (around 10 per cent. of claims are denied on this basis) and occupational history for VWF (around 20 per cent. of claims are denied on this basis).
	With specific reference to "fraud" as against possible exaggeration. Fraud controls additional to this have resulted in around 1,500 suspicious claims being referred to the fraud team with Capita, our claims handler, for further investigation. This is 0.2 per cent. of the 750,000 claims made in total across both schemes. Of these cases referred, one-third have been denied or reduced.
	In addition, one claim was successfully prosecuted, resulting in a custodial sentence, and a further eight cases are being considered for referral to the Police.
	For COPD cases, over 300 deceased cases have been referred for investigation (0.1 per cent. of the total claims made) and over 150 live cases have been referred (0.06 per cent. of the total claims made). We are unable to provide a similar breakdown for VWF claims.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedure is used by her Department when an allegation of fraud is made by the insurers against a former miner claiming damages for work-related illness or his family; and whether the procedure has been agreed with the claimants' group of solicitors.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 21 December 2004
	Suspicious claims are referred to the fraud team within Capita, our claims handler. If they warrant further investigation we will ask to interview the claimant (and helper for VWF Services claims). If an interview is requested the solicitor will be advised, giving an outline of the issues involved and invited to attend.
	We have not agreed the procedures with the claimant's group of solicitors because of the risk of fraud becoming harder to detect and prejudicing the possibility of being able to conduct a proper investigation.

Post Office (Rural Subsidy)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost to the Department of the rural subsidy to the Post Office was in the last year for which figures are available; and how the rural subsidy to the Post Office is organised.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are making available a total of £750 million to maintain the rural network up to 2008. From 2003–04 to 2005–06 up to £450 million is available, made up of £198 million to underpin assigned office payments to sub postmasters, £227 million to meet the costs of supporting the rural network infrastructure (eg IT, cash delivery, help lines) and £25 million to fund pilot work to test new ways of delivering services. From 2006–07 to 2007–08 up to £300 million will be available, subject to state aid clearance. The detailed allocation of this is not yet finalised.

Post Office Card Accounts

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who is responsible for the operation of the Post Office Card Account helpline.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The operation of the Post Office card account is a commercial matter that falls within the day-to-day responsibility of Post Office Ltd.

Post Office Card Accounts

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been received on the operation of Post Office Card Accounts since their introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department of Trade and Industry has no role in the operation of the Post Office card account, which is a commercial matter that falls within the day-to-day responsibility of Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the urban population lived within one mile of a post office or sub-post office in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) the UK and (e) each constituency (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the most recent date for which information is available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. And I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) each constituency were recommended for closure under the Urban Reinvention Programme; how many were (i) opposed by and (ii) approved by Postwatch; how many (A) closed and (B) remained open after public consultation; and how many were saved from closure on appeal by Postwatch.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Decisions on post office closures are a matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) the UK have received payments under the Urban Investment Programme; and what the average payment has been to each post office.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by the (a) Copyright Tribunal, (b) Employment Appeal Tribunal, (c) Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal, (d) persons hearing consumer credit licensing appeals, (e) persons hearing estate agents appeals and (f) employment tribunals; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement on the future of each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: None of these bodies employ staff. Support/secretariat services for each body are provided as follows:
	
		
			 Body Support/secretariat services 
		
		
			 Copyright Tribunal The Patent Office 
			 Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal The Insolvency Service 
			 Persons hearing consumer credit licensing appeals DTI 
			 Persons hearing estate agents appeals DTI 
			 Employment Tribunals Employment Tribunals Service 
			 Employment Appeals Tribunal Employment Tribunals Service 
		
	
	The running costs of the Copyright Tribunal and Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal are not separately identifiable in the Patent Office or Insolvency Service accounts.
	The 2003–04 running costs for the persons hearing consumer credit licensing appeals and persons hearing estate agents appeals were £87,000 and £43,000 respectively.
	The running costs of The Employment Tribunals Service are contained in their Annual Report and Accounts for 2003–04. These were announced to Parliament, deposited in the House Libraries and e-published at www.ets.gov.uk in July 2004.
	All the listed bodies are kept under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that these bodies still provide the most effective means of carrying out those functions.
	Under plans set out in the White Paper "Transforming Public Services: Complaints, Redress and Tribunals", published in July 2004, The Employment Tribunals, Employment Appeal Tribunal, The Persons hearing consumer credit licensing appeals, Persons hearing estate agents appeals will be transferred to the Tribunal Service under the auspices of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunal are expected to transfer on 1 April 2006. The Persons hearing consumer credit licensing appeals and the Persons hearing estate agents appeals will transfer in due course.

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by (a) the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission, (b) the Information Age Partnership, (c) the Low Pay Commission, (d) the Small Business Investment Taskforce and (e) the Women's National Commission; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement on the future of each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: None of these bodies employ staff. Support/secretariat services for each body are provided by DTI.
	The running costs of these bodies form part of DTFs overall expenditure. Expenditure on DTI sponsorship are listed in the following table.
	
		Running costs during 2003–04
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission 221,918 
			 Low Pay Commission 658,141 
			 Small Business Investment Taskforce 60,000 
			 Women's National Commission 332,270. 
			 Information Age Partnership (5507190004)— 
		
	
	(5507190004) The running costs of the Information Age Partnership are not separately identifiable in DTFs Accounts.
	All the listed bodies are kept under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that its functions are still required and that these bodies still provide the most effective means of carrying out those functions.

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed by (a) the Coal Authority, (b) the Competition Commission, (c) Postwatch, (d) the Equal Opportunities Commission, (e) Energywatch, (f) the National Consumer Council, (g) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and (h) the Simpler Trade Procedures Organisation; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement on the future of each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The answer is listed in the following tables:
	
		Running costs during 2003–04
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Coal Authority 43.9 
			 Competition Commission 18.3 
			 Postwatch 10.3 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission 8.7 
			 Energywatch 13.1 
			 National Consumer Council 4 
			 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authoirty 414.9 
			 Simpler Trade Procedures Organisation 1.3 
		
	
	
		Staffing during 2003–04
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Coal Authority 140 
			 Competition Commission 168 
			 Postwatch 121 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission 153 
			 Energywatch 287 
			 National Consumer Council 66.6 
			 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authoirty 2,841 
			 Simpler Trade Procedures Organisation 11 
		
	
	All the listed bodies are kept under review, in accordance with Government guidelines, to ensure that their functions are still required and that they still provide the most effective means of carrying out those functions.
	The UKAEA's responsibilities for nuclear liabilities will change from 1 April 2005 as a result of the Energy Act 2004.
	Proposals that the Equal Opportunities Commission form part of the planned a single equality body were announced in The White Paper "Fairness for All: A New Commission for Equality and Human Rights" launched in May 2004.

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the membership is of the (a) Spectrum Management Advisory Group, (b) British Hallmarking Council and (c) Design Council; what the (i) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (ii) running costs was of each body in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Spectrum Management Advisory Body was wound up on 31 December 2003. Its functions are now carried out by Ofcom.
	The British Hallmarking Council has nineteen members; with the exception of the Chairman all are unpaid but entitled to claim expenses. Emoluments to the Chairman Year ending 2003 were £12,000. No other staff were employed during this period. Its running costs during the year ending 31 December 2003 were £35,637.
	The members are:
	Chairman
	Tom Murray
	Members
	Linda Campbell OBE
	Mike Drewry
	Martyn Pugh
	Stefan Waclawski
	Fod Barnes
	Dr. Peter Clapham
	Adam Green
	Peter Atkinson
	John Evans
	Zoe Simpson
	Robin Buchanon-Dunlop CBE
	Richard Vanderpump
	Simon Batiste
	Roger Burman
	Kay Alexander
	Professor Dorothy Hogg
	Expenses paid to members during 2003 totalled £3,946.
	The Design Council has 17 members; all are unpaid but entitled to claim expenses.
	The Chairman:
	Sir William Stubbs
	The members are:
	Hamish Bryce
	John Crathorne MBE
	Dr. Peter Davies CBE
	Penny Egan
	George Cox
	Lord Freyberg
	John Hazelwood CBE
	Richard Seymour
	Gary Lockton
	Roger Lyons
	Alastair Macdonald CB
	Dorothy MacKenzie
	Jonathan Sands
	Expenses paid to members in 2003–04 totalled £2,000.
	The running costs for the financial year 2003–04 was £7,624.00. 66 staff were employed during this period.

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the membership is of the (a) Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, (b) Fuel Poverty Monitoring and Technical Group, (c) Industrial Development Advisory Board, (d) Intellectual Property Advisory Committee, (e) Investment Committee, (f) Measurement Advisory Committee, (g) Motorsport Competitiveness Panel, (h) National Policy Forum for Start-Ups, (i) regional industrial development boards, (j) Renewables Advisory Board, (k) Sector Analysis Strategy Committee and (l) Small Business Council; what the (i) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (ii) running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Membership of existing bodies is listed. The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group is a group whose membership consists an appointed chairman and persons nominated by the representative bodies listed. The Sector Analysis Strategy Committee is an internal management committee consisting of DTI and Treasury officials and one representative from both the CBI and TUC. The running costs of these bodies form part of DTI's overall expenditure. None of the bodies employ staff. DTI staff service these bodies alongside a range of other duties but it is not possible to identify their numbers separately.
	Expenditure on DTI sponsorship during 2003–04 was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Fuel Poverty Advisory Group 20,000 
			 Industrial Development Advisory Board 38,000 
			 Intellectual Property Advisory Committee 67,262 
			 Regional Industrial Development Boards 107,640 
			 Measurement Advisory Committee 66,000 
			 Renewables Advisory Board 21,500 
			 Small Business Council 465,200 
		
	
	Other costs are not separately identifiable in DTI's accounts.
	The Motorsport Competitiveness Panel has closed.
	Members of the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, Fuel Poverty Monitoring and Technical Group, Industrial Development Advisory Board, Measurement Advisory Committee, National Policy Forum for Start-Ups, regional industrial development boards, Renewables Advisory Board and Sector Analysis Strategy Committee are unpaid but entitled to claim expenses. Expenses claimed are not separately identifiable in DTI's accounts.
	Members of the Investment Committee and Small Business Council are paid £4,800 per annum and expenses. Expenses are not separately identifiable in DTI's accounts.
	Members of the Intellectual Property Advisory Committee receive an allowance of £135 for each day on which they attend meetings. The chair receives £1,500 per annum. All members are entitled to claim expenses. Expenses claimed are not separately identifiable in DTI's accounts.
	Fuel Poverty Advisory Group
	Peter Lehmann (Chair)
	Association for the Conservation of Energy
	Centrica
	EAGA Partnership Ltd.
	Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes
	Energywatch
	Help the Aged
	Innogy
	Local Government Association
	National Energy Action
	National Heart Forum
	Powergen
	Presentation Housing Association
	Public Utilities Access Forum
	Transco
	Citizens Advice
	EDF Energy
	Fuel Poverty Monitoring and Technical Group
	William Baker
	Dave Barnes
	Dr. Marilyn Booth
	John Crouch
	Lesley Davies
	Julie Dunster
	Maxine Frerk
	Gretel Jones
	Phil Kear
	Diana Lowe
	Peter Matejic
	Diane Millen
	John Riley
	Sara Rusling
	Henry Small
	Elaine Waterson
	Daphne White
	Graham White
	Pam Wynne
	Industrial Development Advisory Board
	Peter Allen
	Michael Beverley
	Victor Blank
	Bridget Blow
	Brian Morrison Count
	Rosalind Hedley-Miller
	Karen Elisabeth Jones
	Gordon Page
	Swraj Paul
	lain Samuel Robertson
	Robert Swannell
	Juliet Susan Durrant Williams
	Intellectual Property Advisory Committee
	Richard Gallafent
	Mandy Haberman
	lan Harvey
	Roland Hill
	Paul Johnston
	Hector MacQueen
	Hilary Newiss
	David Perkins
	Tim Roberts
	Sandy Thomas
	David Vaver
	Investment Committee
	Jim Brathwaite
	Richard Maudslay
	Caroline Whitfield
	Fields Wicker-Miurin
	Measurement Advisory Committee
	Penny Allisy-Roberts
	Peter Bleasdale
	Michael Buckley
	Peter Cowley
	Les Ebdon
	David Ellix
	Richard Freeman
	Colin Gaskell
	Ken Grattan
	David Holmwood
	Alan Johnson
	Roger Jones
	John Latham
	Steve Lower
	Janet Townsend
	John Tyrer
	National Policy Forum for Start-Ups
	Janet Beecher
	Jeff Cooke
	Greg Chammings
	Jeremy Crook
	Valerie Culley
	Joy Danby
	George Derbyshire
	Mark Ferrero
	Philip Graham
	Lynda Grange
	Julie Hitchcock
	Pula Houghton
	Victoria Jonson
	Helen King
	Clive Lewis
	Kirstin Liddell
	Brian McCarthy
	Dennis Pattinson
	Emmeline Owens
	Stephen Pegge
	Tony Robinson
	Mei Shui
	Kevin Steele
	Malcolm C Taylor
	Alice Teague
	Erica Watson
	Regional Industrial Development Boards
	Eastern Region Industrial Development Board
	David Richard Baggott
	Alan Davies
	Robert Downing
	Sian Fytche
	Martin James Gould
	Keith Hamilton
	Terence Ralph Hill
	Fiona Hoskins
	Geoff Lambert
	Hugh Lawson
	Marilyn Martin
	Laurence John Russen
	Mike Smith
	London and South East Regional Industrial Development Board
	Thomas William Cohen
	Peter Edwin Croucher
	Praful Davda
	Bryan Davies
	Gill Gurbrinder
	Jim Hicks
	Wendy Hyde
	Shahzad Khan
	Mei Sim Lai
	John McCready
	Helen Sasson
	Inder Jeet Sodhi
	Robert Stiles
	Graeme Wyles
	North West Industrial Development Board
	Lorraine Clinton
	Duncan McLellan
	Raymond Charles McManus
	William Joseph Mullarkey
	Kirit Pathak
	Ruth Isabel Port
	David John Tunnicliff
	George Verghese
	Eva Wisemark
	Marcus Wood
	North East Industrial Development Board
	Lucy Armstrong
	Paul Donald Bartlett
	Subhash Chaudhary
	Christopher Gill
	William Graham
	Haani Ul Hasnain
	Carol Ann Hunter
	Dorothy Marshall
	Lorna Moran
	Anne Reece
	Simon Still
	Rod Taylor
	Kathryn Lucy Winskell
	South West Industrial Development Board
	Sue Astbury
	Ruth Bagley
	Alan Peter Courts
	John Crownshaw,
	lan Robert Douglas
	Gibson, Neville
	Hayman, Alan Neil
	Denise Major
	Richard Morgan
	Rama Warren Nand-Lal
	Victoria Pickering
	Nigel Randall
	Brian Sherwin
	Terence Alan Slater
	Barbara Spiers
	Yorkshire/Humberside and East Midlands Industrial Development Board
	Neil Graham Adnitt
	Andrew Peter Bradley
	Christine Margaret Dunn
	David Arthur Garside
	James Alexander (Sandy) Gillan
	Zulfiqar Hussain
	Lumby,Gary
	Nigel Pritchard
	Terry George Richardson
	Michael Alan Sharp
	Edward Smith
	Mogg Stanners
	West Midlands Industrial Development Board
	Mark Day
	Lynne Marlane Evans
	David Grove
	Royston Jones
	David Lovatt
	Andrew Richard Manning-Cox
	Howard Marshall
	Peter Michael Matthews
	Paramjit Paul Singh
	Michael John Smith
	David John Waller
	Michael Wilson
	Renewables Advisory Board
	Tariq Ali
	Doug Coleman
	Tom Delay
	Robert Hastings
	Gearoid Lane
	Robert Leicester
	Jeremy Leggett
	Wilson Malone
	Alan Moore
	Chris Morris
	Ray Noble
	Simon Roberts
	David Still
	Patricia Thornley
	Dale Vince
	David James Williams
	David John Williams
	Jason Scagell
	Small Business Council
	William Sargent (Chair)
	Simon Bartley
	Sue Brownson
	Grant Burton
	Elsa Caleb
	Peter Donaldson
	Lorraine Gradwell
	Teresa Graham
	Paul Harrod
	Caroline Hughes
	Andrew Ive
	Scott Johnson
	John McLaren-Stewart
	Ilyas Patel
	Sally Preston
	Fiona Price
	Dr. John Reynolds
	Prof. Monder Ram
	Michael Robinson
	Louise Shafar
	Sean Taggart
	Simon Topman
	Jan Ward
	Candida Whitmill

Public Bodies

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the membership is of the (a) Advisory Committee on Cleaner Coal Technology, (b) Advisory Group on Basic Technologies Programme, (c) Aerospace Committee, (d) Age Advisory Group, (e) Better Payment Practice Group, (f) Broadband Stakeholder Group, (g) Business Incubtion Fund Investment Panel, (h) Council for Science and Technology, (i) Database Market Strategy Group, (j) Distributed Generation Co-ordinating Group, (k) Employment Tribunal Implementation Group, (l) Energy Advisory Panel, (m) Ethnic Minority Business Forum and (n) Fuel Cells Advisory Panel; what the (i) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (ii) running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service each body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The membership of the Age Advisory Group, Council for Science and Technology, Employment Tribunal Implementation Group, Business Incubation Fund Investment Panel and Ethnic Minority Business Forum are listed. The Better Payment Practice Group is a group whose membership consists of persons nominated by the representative bodies listed. The Broadband Stakeholder Group is a focus group with unpaid open membership. Ethnic Minority Business Forum members receive a fee of £4,800 per annum and expenses. Members of all other bodies are unpaid but may claim expenses. None of these bodies employ staff. DTI staff provides secretariat/support services for each body along side a range of other duties. It is not possible to identify their numbers separately.
	The expenditure on sponsorship for each body form part of DTFs overall budget. In 2003–04 the cost of the Council for Science and Technology and Ethnic Minority Business Forum were £141,000 and £14,640 respectively. Other costs are not separately identifiable in DTI's accounts.
	The following bodies have closed:
	Advisory Committee on Cleaner Coal Technology
	Advisory Group on Basic Technologies Programme
	Aerospace Committee
	Database Market Strategy Group
	Distributed Generation Co-ordinating Group
	Energy Advisory Panel
	Fuel Cells Advisory Panel
	Current Membership of extisting bodies
	Age Advisory Group
	Lucy Anderson
	Carolynne Arfield
	Neil Bentley
	Patrick Grattan
	Keith Handley
	Andrew Harrop
	Ewa Hibbert
	Anne Kensall
	Sam Mercer
	Mike Palmer
	Steve Smith
	Robert Taylor
	Dianah Worman
	The Better Payment Practice Group
	The Association of British Insurers
	Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants
	The British Bankers' Association
	The British Chambers of Commerce
	The Chartered Institute of
	Management Accountants
	Confederation of British Industry
	Credit Management Research Centre
	The Credit Services Association.
	The Factors & Discounters Association
	The Federation of Small Business
	The Forum of Private Business.
	The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
	The Institute of Credit Management
	Institute of Directors
	The Institute of Export
	The Small Business Service
	Business Incubation Fund
	Investment Panel
	Paul Bradstock
	Malcolm Buckler
	Alan Fletcher
	Kamaljeet Kundi
	Patrick Umeh
	Council for Science and Technology
	Professor Sir John Beringer
	Professor Geoffrey Boulton
	Professor Janet Finch
	Andrew Gould
	Professor Wendy Hall
	Dr. Hermann Hauser
	Dr. Dieter Helm
	Professor Alan Hughes
	Dr. Sue Ion
	Sir David King
	Dr. Robert Margetts
	Sir Paul Nurse
	Sir Keith Peters
	Dr. Raj Rajagopal
	Professor Michael Sterling
	Professor Kathy Sykes
	Dr. Mark Walport
	Ethnic Minority Business Fourm Members
	Numan Azmi
	Gwen Balson
	Tina Fahm
	Leslie Fairclough
	Yvonne Field
	Peaches Golding
	Dr. Haider Imam
	Mohammed Isap
	Mei Sim Lai
	Adeeba Malik
	Professor Monder Ram
	Tony Sealey
	Askar Sheibani
	Rahid Teladia
	Employment Tribunal
	Implementation Group
	Sarah Anderson
	John Cridland
	Rita Donaghy
	Alan Jones
	His Honour Judge Meeran, President of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales)
	Colin Milne, President of the Employment Tribunals (Scotland)
	Frances O'Grady

Regional Venture Capital Fund

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many enterprises which received funding from the Regional Venture Capital Fund programme have failed since receiving that funding.

Nigel Griffiths: Of the 148 businesses invested in by RVCFs one has failed (as at 30 November 2004).

Regional Venture Capital Fund

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the administration costs of the Regional Venture Capital Fund have been in each year since its inception, broken down by region.

Nigel Griffiths: The nine funds have a total value of £250.5 million, with the DTI/SBS commitment being £74,375,000. To 30 November 2004 the DTI/SBS has invested almost £46 million in the nine RVCFs.
	Following is a table setting out the estimated administration costs of the Regional Venture Capital Fund since its inception.
	
		
			 Financial year Administration costs 
		
		
			 1999–2000 47,020 
			 2000–01 92,167 
			 2001–02 95,853 
			 2002–03 84,455 
			 2003–04 75,117 
			 2004–05 56,586 
			 Total 451,198

Sub-post Offices (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices were closed in (a) the West Derbyshire constituency and (b) Derbyshire in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Decisions on post office closures are a matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Sub-postmasters (Compensation)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average compensation payment has been to sub-postmasters leaving the postal services business in (a) each constituency and (b) each nation and region of the UK under the Urban Reinvention Programme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. And I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to Hon. Member.

UK Trade and Investment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what agreements UK Trade and Investment has reached with each of the regional development agencies covering roles, resources and outputs on international trade.

Douglas Alexander: Agreements that UKTI will operate as the Regional Development Agencies' international trade arm, covering roles, resources and outputs, have been entered into between UKTI and all the RDAs except East of England Development Agency (with whom UKTI has agreed a joint delivery plan) and Yorkshire Forward (with whom UKTI has agreed a joint working strategy and is in the process of finalising a concordat).
	UKTI and the RDAs have recently agreed a national framework for joint working under which, from April 2005, UKTI and all the RDAs will jointly sign off regional delivery plans on international trade These will ensure joint discussion of, and agreement on, objectives, resources, outputs and monitoring/evaluation.

UK Trade and Investment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) administration and (b) administration capital resources were consumed by her Department in meeting UK Trade and Investment's objectives of (i) enhancing competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment and (ii) ensuring a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment in 2004–05; and what provision has been made for 2005–06.

Douglas Alexander: (a) The Department of Trade and Industry's administration provision to meet UK Trade and Investment's objectives for the current year (2004–05) amounts to £35.3 million of which some £31 million will be spent on enhancing the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment and just under £4.3 million on ensuring a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment. The planned provision for 2005–06 will be some £34 million, of which around 85 per cent. is expected to go on enhancing the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment and the remainder on ensuring a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment.
	(b) The Department of Trade and Industry's administration provision to meet UK Trade and Investment's objectives does not include any capital resources.

Wind Farm

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to make a decision on the application submitted in October 2003 by Renewable Energy Systems to build a wind farm in Kedby, North Lincolnshire; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is not yet possible to estimate when the process will conclude and a decision be reached.

TREASURY

Aggregates

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the changes in levels of (a) use and (b) sale of (i) recycled and (ii) secondary aggregates has been since the introduction of the Aggregates Levy;
	(2)  whether his Department deems the Aggregates Levy to apply to the use of slate waste as aggregate;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the aggregates levy on (a) the production of primary aggregates and (b) the volume of such aggregates sold.

John Healey: Sales data from aggregates levy returns are not recorded in such a way as to enable differentiation between sales or production of primary and secondary aggregates. However, data from the British Geological Survey suggest that overall production of aggregate in the UK decreased by over 8 per cent. between 2001 and 2003 to its lowest level since 1982.
	As announced in the recent pre-Budget report, the Symonds Group survey of arisings and use of construction, demolition and excavation waste as aggregate in England in 2003 (published October 2004) shows that production of recycled aggregate increased by over 3 million tonnes between 2001 and 2003.
	All slate is exempt from the aggregates levy.

Benefit Claimants (Dagenham)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) unemployed claimants and (b) long-term unemployed claimants there have been in the Dagenham constituency in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Jon Cruddas, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployed claimants in Dagenham. I am replying in his absence. (207162)
	The attached table gives the total number of all Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) claimants resident in the Dagenham Parliamentary Constituency for each year from 1997 to 2004. It also shows those claiming for over 12 months.
	
		JSA claimants resident in the Dagenham constituency—annual averages
		
			   All claimants of which: claiming for over 12 months(5507190005) 
		
		
			 1997 2,226 855 
			 1998 1,824 430 
			 1999 1,715 480 
			 2000 1,572 440 
			 2001 1,404 320 
			 2002 1,438 235 
			 2003 1,596 250 
			 2004(5507190006) 1,754 270 
		
	
	(5507190005) Computerised claims only, rounded to the nearest 5.
	(5507190006) Average over 11 months.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Communities Staff (Pensions)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Council Decision (a) supports and (b) authorises the accounting entry for Long Term Pensions Liabilities of Communities Staff (C294 volume 47, 30th November, p.65).

Stephen Timms: The Financial Regulation (Council Regulation 1605/2002) requires the Commission to keep accounting records. The Staff Regulation (Council Regulation 723/2004 amending the Staff Regulation) governs the funding of the pension scheme for civil servants of the European institutions. Both these regulations were approved by all member states and the European Parliament.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 15 November 2004, Official Report, column 950W, and 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 954W.

Departmental Files

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been promulgated in each of the past five years to the guidelines or other criteria for the retention or destruction of departmental files.

Stephen Timms: None.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability.

Stephen Timms: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number who have declared a disability.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

Stephen Timms: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/gender_apr04_4nov04.xls.

Divorce

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many divorces there were in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mrs. Theresa May, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the number of divorces taking place in 2001, 2002 and 2003. (HMT Ref 207464). I am replying in his absence.
	The number of divorces taking place in each of these years 2001, 2002 and 2003 in the United Kingdom is shown below.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 156,814 
			 2002 160,726 
			 2003 166,737 
		
	
	The term divorce includes both decrees absolute and decrees of nullity.

Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act. These policies and procedures have not been changed in the past 12 months.

Dormant Accounts

Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in his negotiations with banks and building societies in persuading them to use dormant accounts which cannot be reunited with their owners for the support of good causes.

Stephen Timms: As stated in the Pre Budget Report (Cm 6408), HM Treasury is holding a series of discussions with the financial services industry to take work on unclaimed assets forward. A report on progress will be made in due course.

Dormant Accounts

Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his negotiations with banks and building societies regarding the identification and return of (a) dormant and (b) orphan bank accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: As stated in the recent pre-Budget report (CM 6408),
	"we believe that it is right in principle that more should be done to reunite assets with their owners and [we] welcome the continued efforts of the British Bankers' Association, the Building Societies' Association and National Savings in trying to do so. Where assets and owners cannot be reunited, the assets should be reinvested in society, as long as the original owners' entitlements to reclaim are preserved. The Government asked the industry to expand the scope of action beyond investment banking into retail banking and the wider financial sector. Following the Budget [we have] held constructive discussions with the industry to take this forward and we will report on progress in due course".

Electronic Devices

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many electronic devices are owned by the Department, broken down by type;
	(2)  how many items of electrical equipment were used by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury owns a wide variety of electronic devices. Items with a value greater than £5,000 are capitalised on acquisition and their values are included in the department's balance sheet in the annual resource accounts. For financial control purposes, certain other items which are a theft risk, such as laptop computers and personal organisers, are recorded by the teams holding the assets, but not capitalised on the balance sheet unless individual values exceed £5,000. There is no central complete record of all electronic devices and one could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Stephen Timms: E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. This policy has not been reviewed in the last 12 months. Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives website at
	http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf

E-mails

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his Department's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.

Stephen Timms: E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. This applies to e-mails both (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005. No separate instructions have been given for the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.

Employment (Dagenham)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward of the Dagenham constituency are (a) employed and (b) unemployed.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Jon Cruddas, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward of the Dagenham constituency are (a) employed and (b) unemployed. (207155). I am replying in his absence.
	Labour Force Survey estimates for 2004 are not available at ward level. I have therefore provided figures taken from the 2001 Census.
	The data is provided is based upon the ward boundaries legally in force on 31 December 2002. These are not always completely coterminous with the parliamentary constituency boundaries which were defined in April 1994. A number of the wards listed below are split between two parliamentary constituencies and therefore the data for whole wards are provided on a 'best fit' basis only. Those wards which straddle parliamentary constituencies have been highlighted, and the total number of people living in Output Areas (OA's) within that ward and within another parliamentary constituency has been provided for information. For the count of that portion of the ward within the Dagenham constituency the user is advised to subtract the counts reported for the collection of OA's outside Dagenham Constituency from the ward total.
	
		All people aged 16–74—Dagenham constituency
		
			   Economically active 
			  Area Employed Unemployed 
		
		
			 00ABFY Alibon 3,621 334 
			 00ABGA Chadwell Heath 3,581 305 
			 00ABGB Eastbrook 4,556 249 
			 00ABGF Heath 3,434 350 
			 00ABGJ Parsloes 3,483 281 
			  Total people in OA's in Parsloes ward which are not contained within Dagenham PC boundary 79 3 
			 00ABGK River 4,323 347 
			  Total people in OA's in River ward which are not contained within Dagenham PC boundary 963 87 
			 00ABGM Valence 3,436 278 
			 00ABGN Village 3,897 351 
			 00ABGP Whalebone 4,455 213 
		
	
	Source:
	Table KS09 Census 2001 Key Statistics for Output Areas and Table UV29 on the Census Area Statistics for Output Areas. Both are available in the House of Commons Library

Ethnic Minorities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department's policies meet the needs of ethnic minorities.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury published a Race Equality Scheme in May 2002, in accordance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The current Race Equality Scheme is available on the Treasury's public website. My Department is in the process of updating the scheme, in accordance with the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act and a new scheme will be published by May this year.

EU Funding

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 9 December 2004, Official Report, column 653W, on EU funding, what the sum total is to date in real terms that has not been signed off by the Court of Auditors, broken down by year; and what the UK percentage share of the total EU budget was for each year.

Stephen Timms: It is important to note that the failure of any part of the Community Budget to gain a positive Statement of Assurance does not mean that the whole of that part of the budget was mis-spent. Rather, it means that the European Court of Auditors found errors in the sample audited in that year.
	The figures for the years 1992 onwards (when the annual Statement of Assurance was introduced), showing the total for each year and the sum total to date, and the UK's percentage share, are as follows:
	
		
			  Total budget not signed off (£ million)(5507190007) Percentage UK contribution(5507190008) (Post-abatement) 
		
		
			 1992 40,797 11.91 
			 1993 47,368 11.92 
			 1994 43,903 10.00 
			 1995 51,627 13.64 
			 1996 58,388 11.56 
			 1997 52,055 11.86 
			 1998 51,286 15.24 
			 1999 49,896 13.43 
			 2000 47,952 15.76 
			 2001 46,719 9.59 
			 2002 49,161 13.07 
			 2003 60,854 11.92 
			 Total budget not signed off (1992 to 2003) 600,006 – 
		
	
	(5507190007) Taken from data published in Table 1A of respective European Community Finances White Papers, less administrative expenditure (also less pre-accession aid expenditure in 2002). Latest White Paper (Cm 6134) (ISBN 0–10–161342–3) was published on 22 April 2004 and the figures for the period 1999 to 2003 have been taken from this.
	(5507190008) Calculated from data published in European Commission Reports on the Allocation of EU Operating Expenditure.

EU Funding

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2004, Official Report, columns 869–70W, on EU Funding, whether the list of (a) recipients, (b) awards and (c) projects funded under B3 budget lines is publicly available; what auditing takes place of those budget lines; and if he will undertake to deposit in the Library such listings across the B3 range where they are not publicly available.

Stephen Timms: Some B3 budget lines directly fund named organisations. For the majority of these lines, lists of recipients of funding, awards made and projects supported are not publicly available. Appropriations for each budget line are set out in the annual EC Budget which is deposited in the Library of the House.
	The European Court of Auditors (ECA) audits the EC Budget on an annual basis, and the ECA may decide to issue a special report on particular activities—a list of these reports is published at the back of the ECA's latest annual report (which has been deposited). Recipients of EU funding will be subject to the accounting and reporting rules of the member state in which they are based and may be subject to individual audits.

EU Staff (Pensions)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the UK Government position regarding accounting entry for Long Term Pensions Liabilities of European Union Staff (C294 volume 47, 30th November, page 65); and whether there is an agreement between member states assuming liability for this debt.

Stephen Timms: Like almost all member states, the EU has a funded pension system for its civil servants. Member states are required under the Treaty to contribute to the Community budget, which includes the part-funding of the pension scheme for civil servants of the European Community institutions. The accounting entry complies with the appropriate accounting standards.

European Commission Building (Abuja)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of construction of the new European Commission building in Abuja; what the estimated total value is of real estate of Commission offices outside the EU; what the annual cost is of (a) staffing and (b) maintaining them; and how many people are employed in each office.

Stephen Timms: The contract for constructing the new building in Abuja was just under £8.09 million. This was split between Germany, Netherlands, Italy and the Commission who will jointly occupy the building. The Commission part of the building was valued at £1.72 million. The common area was valued at £1.90 million. The contract was made in sterling and details of the tender were published in the supplement to the Official Journal (reference OJ S 237) on 8 December 2001.
	The Government support co-location, with EU partners and others, where it offers a value for money solution.
	The estimated market value of each building owned by the Commission is presented in the annual EC Budget which is deposited in the parliamentary Library.
	Aggregated figures for the staffing and maintenance of the Commission's buildings are included in the general running costs of the Commission, and are also presented in the annual EC Budget. There is no break down by building.

European Community Institutions (Pension Liabilities)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the levels of unfunded pension liabilities of the European Community institutions.

Stephen Timms: Like almost all member states, the EU has a funded pension system for its civil servants. The pension scheme for civil servants of the European Community institutions is funded partly by the officials themselves, who contribute to one third of the scheme's financing, with the balance funded by member states from the Community budget. The Government played an active role in the recent negotiations to reform the pension scheme. The reforms agreed by all member states will lead to substantial savings and reduced pension liabilities.

European Court of Justice (Fines)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total fines that have been imposed by the European Court of Justice on each member state are since 1974; and how much has been (a) collected and (b) waived for each.

Stephen Timms: The power to fine member states was given to the European Court of Justice when the Treaty on European Union came into force (on 1 November 1993). Fines can either be in the form of a lump sum or a penalty payment (Article 228(2) EC).
	The ECJ has only imposed fines on two occasions under Article 228(2) EC:
	(i) Greece was ordered to pay a penalty payment of EUR 20,000 for each day of delay (from the date of service of the judgment), in implementing the measures necessary to ensure that waste was disposed of without endangering human health and without harming the environment, (Case C-387/97, Commission v. Greece).
	(ii) The ECJ considered that Spain had not taken the measures necessary to ensure that the quality of inshore bathing water conformed to the Community's standards. It ordered Spain to pay to the Commission a penalty payment of EUR 624,150 per year and per 1 per cent. of bathing areas in Spanish inshore waters which had been found not to conform to the limit values laid down for the year in question (Case C-278/01, Commission v. Spain).
	The collection of fines is a matter for the Commission and records are not held by the UK Government.

Hourly Gross Earnings

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each unitary local authority area in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) £7.58, (2) £5.68 and (3) £4.20 on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Annabelle Ewing, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each local unitary authority area in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had gross hourly earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) £7.58, (2) £5.68 and (3) £4.20 on the latest date for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (207577)
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and are provided for full time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings tables. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	I am placing in the House of Commons Library, tables showing the counts and proportion of full-time workers for Great Britain, Scotland and Scottish local authorities earning below the stated hourly pay levels.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn schemes, but because of its sampling frame, it has difficulty capturing data on people with very low pay. It is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive. A number of estimates have been removed from the published tables for these reasons.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreement concerning what proportion of debt has been reached in respect of write-off of Iraq's debts for which non-state actors are creditors; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Paris Club of official creditors agreed on 21 November 2004 to write off 80 per cent. of Iraq's debt. This agreement with Iraq contains a provision that requires Iraq to seek comparable treatment from all non-Paris Club creditors, including private creditors. The Iraqi authorities are responsible for those negotiations.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditionality is required of Iraq by the International Monetary Fund; whether (a) the UK Government and (b) other Paris Club Governments are committed to the implementation of this conditionality under the Paris Club debt write-off deal; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Iraq agreed a programme of emergency post-conflict assistance (EPCA) with the IMF on 29 September 2004, and intends to agree an upper credit tranche IMF Arrangement in 2005. The EPCA document is publicly available. The terms of the upper credit tranche arrangement are yet to be negotiated by Iraq and the IMF. The Paris Club agreement on debt reduction for Iraq will be delivered in three tranches, the second and third of which are linked to the IMF Board's approval, and Iraq's implementation, of an upper credit tranche IMF arrangement.

Millennium Development Goals

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of alternative financing instruments that could be utilised for raising the finance required for meeting the millennium development goals in the event that insufficient funds are committed to the International Finance Facility.

Stephen Timms: UK official development assistance will increase to £6.4 billion by 2008, reaching 0.47 per cent. of national income. On this timetable, if current rates of growth are maintained the UK will reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent. ODA as a share of GNI by 2013. The UK encourages other countries not yet at this target to set a timetable towards achieving it.
	But to meet the millennium development goals an additional $50 billion of aid is needed immediately, and this scale of resources is far beyond what traditional funding can offer today. That is why the UK has put forward its proposal for a new international finance facility.
	The UK will continue to look at other means of increasing development aid, and welcomes the recent findings of the Landau Report and the Report on Action against Hunger and Poverty which call for further work to be done on the options for providing the resources needed for fighting poverty in the longer-term, including international taxes, special drawing rights and voluntary mechanisms.

Newspapers/Periodicals

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals taken by his Department in each year since 1997; and how much the Department spent on each in each year.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the then Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 228W.

Ovarian Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many incidences of ovarian cancer there have been in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Dr. Ian Gibson, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many incidences of ovarian cancer there have been in the last five years. I am replying in his absence. (207084)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2001. The number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer registered in England, for the 5 years 1997–2001 are given in the table below along with the directly age-standardised rates. 1
	
		Number of newly diagnosed cases and directly age-standardised rates(5507190009)of ovarian(5507190010)cancer in England, 1997–2001 -- Per 100,000 population
		
			  Number of cases Age-standardised rate 
		
		
			 1997 5,617 18.8 
			 1998 5,581 18.7 
			 1999 5,435 17.8 
			 2000 5,400 17.5 
			 2001 5,635 18.1 
		
	
	(5507190009) Age-standardised rates are directly standardised to the European standard population. These control for differences in the age structure of the population so as to present incidence rates on a comparable basis over time.
	(5507190010) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C56.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Press Officers

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press officers are employed in the Department.

Stephen Timms: The number of press officer posts in the Treasury has changed very little since 1992 and currently stands at nine.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay grade.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury have four special advisers who are not attached to any civil service pay grade. These figures do not include members of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Stephen Timms: I refer to the answer given by the former Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) on 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 603W.

Stamp Duty

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what projections he made for revenue from stamp duty on (a) property and (b) share transactions in each of the last five years; and what projections he has made for each of the next three financial years.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the revenue from stamp duty on both property and share transactions in each of the last five financial years up to and including 2003–04 are given at
	http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/stamp duty/ tablel5_l_september04.pdf
	Estimated and projected revenues for total stamp taxes in 2004–05 and 2005–06 are published in table B13 of the pre-Budget 2004 report. The breakdown between duty on land and property (Stamp Duty Land Tax) and share transactions is as follows:
	
		£ billion
		
			  2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Stamp Duty Land Tax 6.2 6.6 
			 Stamp Taxes on Shares 2.6 3.0

Stamp Duty

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many stamp duty land tax applications have been received by the Inland Revenue since 1 August; and how many of those applications have been received from solicitors in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) England and Wales;
	(2)  how many stamp duty land tax certificates the Inland Revenue has issued since 1 August; and how many of those certificates have been issued to solicitors in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) England and Wales.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the number of applications for certificates received by the Inland Revenue between 1 August and 30 November, and certificates issued between 1 August and 30 November, are given in the following table. The country in the table relates to the country of transaction as it is not possible to give information by location of solicitor.
	
		Thousand
		
			  Estimated number of: 
			 Country Applications Certificates issued 
		
		
			 England and Wales 636 555 
			 Scotland 62 54 
			 Northern Ireland 20 16

Teenage Pregnancies (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies have been recorded in Coventry since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many teenage pregnancies have been recorded in Coventry since 1997. I am replying in his absence. (206976)
	The most recent year for which conception statistics are available is 2002. The figures requested are given in the table below. 'Teenage' is interpreted as the under 18 age group, in line with the target set by the Government Strategy on Teenage Pregnancy.
	
		Number of conceptions to women aged under 18 resident in Coventry, 1997–2002
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 364 
			 1998 352 
			 1999 314 
			 2000 374 
			 2001 342 
			 2002 (Provisional figures) 381

Telephone Numbers

Paul Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Treasury has received from the use of non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers for the period 1 October 2003 to 30 September.

Stephen Timms: None.

Unemployment (Hertfordshire)

Claire Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment in (a) Watford constituency and (b) South West Hertfordshire constituency in (i) 1995 and (ii) 2004.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Ms Claire Ward, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. I am replying in his absence. (207570)
	Table 1 provides the available information requested in the Watford and South West Hertfordshire Parliamentary Constituencies for the twelve-month periods ending February 1997, the earliest period for which information is available, and February 2004, the most recent available period.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for local areas.
	Table 2 gives the annual average number of people resident in the Watford and South West Hertfordshire constituencies claiming Jobseeker's Allowance benefits in 1995 and 2004.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed people resident in the Watford andSouth West Hertfordshire parliamentary constituencies -- Thousand
		
			 12 months ending February each year Watford South West Hertfordshire 
		
		
			 1997 4 3 
			 2004 2 2 
		
	
	Note:
	LFS estimates for small areas such as Parliamentary Constituencies are particularly subject to sampling variability because of the small size of the survey samples for local areas. They should therefore be treated with caution and, in particular, changes from year to year should not be used in isolation from the figures for a run of years.
	Source:
	ONS, Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the Watford andSouth West Hertfordshire constituencies
		
			  Annual averages 
			  Watford South West Hertfordshire 
		
		
			 1995 3,063 2,143 
			 2004 (Average over 11 months) 1,089 658 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Employment (Bedfordshire)

Patrick Hall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women resident in Bedford and Kempston had paid jobs in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Patrick Hall, dated 11 January 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment. I am replying in his absence. (207223)
	The statistics available are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and relate to the twelve-month periods ending February 1997 and February 2004. In these periods the numbers of women in employment, who were resident in the Bedford Parliamentary Constituency, were respectively 21,000 and 25,000.
	For this purpose, people aged 16 or over are classed as in employment by the LFS, if they have done at least one hour of paid work (as an employee or self-employed) in the week prior to their LFS interview, or if they have a job that they are temporarily away from. Employment also includes people working in an unpaid capacity in a family business or those who are on job-related government supported training programmes, but the LFS samples for the periods quoted included no women in these categories resident in the Bedford Constituency.
	These estimates from the LFS are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academics (EU Funding)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 827W, on Academics (EU Funding), which institutions have received EU funds in the past three years; and if she will make representations to the European Commission to publish the information.

Kim Howells: Information on the income of all HE institutions in the UK, including amounts received from EU sources, is collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), and is published in their "Resources of Higher Education Institutions" reference volume. Copies of the latest edition, covering 2002/03, and those for earlier years are available from the House Library.

Accountancy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding the Sector Skills Development Agency is giving to course providers for the Association of Accounting Technicians Book-keeping Certificate in the current financial year.

Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency has not given funding to course providers for the Association of Accounting Technicians Book-keeping Certificate in the current financial year. Funding of training providers is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council, and Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Allegations Against Teachers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance has been issued to local education authorities (LEA) on recording allegations made against teachers; and what obligations LEAs are under to report those allegations when a teacher starts at a new school within the local education authority.

Stephen Twigg: Guidance about procedure and practice for dealing with allegations against teachers and education staff drawn up jointly by the National Employers Organisation for School Teachers (NEOST) and the six teacher unions was updated and reissued in autumn 2002. It advises that a school should keep a copy of the pupil's statement or the record of an allegation on the section of the pupil's personal file which is not open to disclosure, together with a written record of the outcome of the investigation. Documents relating to an investigation must be retained in a secure place by the school, together with a written record of the outcome of the investigation. Where disciplinary action has been taken, copies should be retained on the member of staff's personal and confidential file in accordance with the school's disciplinary procedures.
	My Department is currently consulting NEOST, the teacher unions, and other stakeholders about more detailed guidance on recording allegations about education staff that has been drafted by the network of Investigation and Referral Support Coordinators that my Department funds.
	Previous and current employers, including schools and local authorities, are expected to provide relevant information in response to a request for a reference from a prospective new employer.

Criminal Offences

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department in the (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 session, broken down by Act.

Derek Twigg: The Department did not create any criminal offences in legislation in the session 2002–03.
	In session 2003–04, four new offences were created in legislation made by this Department. The new offences are found in the Children Act 2004:
	Section 45—Power to establish registration scheme in England
	This section gives the Secretary of State the power to set up through regulations a scheme for the registration of private foster carers. Subsection (3) makes it an offence for any person to knowingly make a statement which is false or misleading in a material particular in an application for registration as a private foster parent in accordance with the regulations. A person found guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
	Subsection (11) provides that regulations may make it an offence for a person registered under those regulations who without reasonable excuse contravenes or otherwise fails to comply with any requirement imposed on him in the regulations. A person found guilty of such an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
	Subsection 45(12) provides that regulations under this section may make it an offence for a person to foster a child privately while disqualified from being registered, unless certain exceptions apply. A person found guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to (a) a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale; (b) a term of imprisonment not exceeding 51 weeks (or, in the case of an offence committed before the commencement of section 251 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003), not exceeding six months); or(c) both.
	Section 63—Disclosure of information by Inland Revenue
	Section 63 amends Schedule 5 of the Tax Credits Act 2002 to enable the Inland Revenue to share Tax Credit, Child Benefit or Guardian's Allowance information (except where it relates to a person's income) with local authorities (or, in Northern Ireland, Health and Social Services Boards) for the purposes of inquiries and investigations relating to the welfare of a child. Subsection (5) makes it an offence for a staff member of an authority to disclose the information unless the disclosure is made: (a) in accordance with an enactment or order of court, (b) with the consent of person to whom the information relates, or (c) in a way that prevents identification of the person to whom the information relates. A person found guilty of such an offence is liable to a maximum of two years imprisonment.

Departmental Documents

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the documents published by the Department sent to (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each month since January 2004 broken down by number of pages.

Derek Twigg: We strictly monitor and gatekeep the information that we automatically send to schools. Details of documents sent to schools in the period requested are detailed in Annex A.
	The academic year 2002/03 saw a 50 per cent. reduction on the number of documents sent to all schools compared to the previous 2001/02 year.
	Going forward, we have successfully piloted an online ordering system that will enable schools to choose what information they want from the Department and when. This will put schools in control of what they receive.
	
		Annex A: Automatic mailings to primary schools 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 January Spectrum 71 
			  We're a Community Here 
			  Bullying a charter for action 
			 February Spectrum 72 
			  Removing barriers to achievement 
			 March Spectrum 73 
			  Write here write now 
			  Drugs Guidance for schools 
			  Drugs guidance for schools summary 
			 April Spectrum 74 
			  Progression in Phonics 
			  Working together (Giving children a say) 
			 May Spectrum 75 
			  Excellence and Enjoyment 
			  Performance pay progression 
			 June/July Spectrum 76 
			 September Spectrum 77/78 
			  School teachers pay and conditions 
			  PPA Resource pack 
			  Healthy living blueprint 
			  Healthy living blueprint poster 
			 October Spectrum 79 
			 November Spectrum 80 
			 December Nil 
		
	
	
		Annex A: Automatic mailings to secondary schools 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 January Spectrum 71 
			  Bullying a charter for action 
			 February Spectrum 72 
			  Removing barriers to achievement 
			  Statutory changes to KS4 
			 March Spectrum 73 
			  Drugs guidance for schools 
			  Drugs guidance for schools summary 
			  KS3 Parents evening pack 
			  EMA application forms 
			  14–19 Reform: Progress interim report 
			 April Spectrum 74 
			  Working together (Giving children a say) 
			 May Spectrum 75 
			  Performance pay progression 
			 June/July Spectrum 76 
			 September Spectrum 77/78 
			  School teachers pay and conditions 
			  PPA resource pack 
			  Healthy living blueprint 
			  Healthy living blueprint poster 
			 October Spectrum 79 
			 November Spectrum 80 
			 December Nil

Departmental Properties

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise.

Derek Twigg: My Department holds 29 properties with a total floor space of 131,552 sq m. The number of totally vacant properties as at 1 December 2004 amounts to five with a total floor space of 3,134 sq m.

Disabilities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the staff employed by her Department have a declared disability.

Derek Twigg: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of staff who have a declared disability.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04__4nov04.xls.

Education Budget

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills under what statutory powers the Government reduced the education budget for North Yorkshire for financial year 2004–05.

Derek Twigg: Each year between 1997–98 and 2004–05 North Yorkshire has seen a real terms increase in education funding per pupil aged 3 to 19.
	
		North Yorkshire LEA
		
			  £ per pupil 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,710 
			 1998–99 2,770 
			 1999–2000 2,890 
			 2000–01 3,130 
			 2001–02 3,250 
			 2002–03 3,350 
			 2003–04 3,480 
			 2004–05 3,600

Education Budget

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what account is taken in provision of capital expenditure to (a) local education authorities and (b) schools of the (i) running costs of schools, (ii) pupil numbers in schools and (iii) the teacher to pupil ratio.

Derek Twigg: No account is taken in the allocation of capital expenditure to (a) local education authorities and (b) schools in respect of the (i) running costs of schools and (iii) the teacher to pupil ratio. With respect to (ii) pupil numbers in schools (a) local education authorities' formulaic funding is allocated 40 per cent. by pupil numbers and 60 per cent. by need, together with an allocation for new additional pupil places (b) schools are allocated devolved formula capital which is solely determined by pupil numbers.

Exclusions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to publish termly figures for exclusions.

Derek Twigg: The first termly collection of exclusions data related to summer 2003. There were concerns about the quality of the data returned but summary information was published to give source on R and S Gateway 'experimental statistics' on 29 July 2004.
	Information derived from the three subsequent collection exercises in autumn 2003, spring 2004 and summer 2004 are expected to be included in a Statistical First Release scheduled before the end of June 2005. The actual date will be pre-announced in due course on the Department's R and S Gateway (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/cgi-bin/rsgateway/search. pl?keyw=127&q2=Search).
	Publishing information across a full academic year will allow a better understanding of any seasonal (i.e. termly) trends and present a coherent picture of exclusions across the 2003/04 academic year. Once we have a better understanding of the termly trends then more frequent releases of data can be considered.

Exclusions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to publish data on exclusion, broken down by type of special educational need.

Derek Twigg: Information on exclusions broken down by type of special educational need (SEN) is not currently available.
	Information type of SEN was collected for the first time in January 2004, for pupils on roll in 2003/04, but the latest available exclusions figures relate to 2002/03. Permanent exclusions data for 2003/04 are expected to be available in May or June 2005 and it should then be possible to link individual pupil records to the existing data on the type of SEN. If this work is carried out successfully then publication of summary information will be considered for later in 2005.

Higher Education

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students aged 18 years who entered higher education in the academic year 2002/03 were resident in (a) the City of Manchester and (b) Manchester, Withington constituency.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 January 2005
	The latest available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Information on the parliamentary constituency of a student is derived from the student's postcode 1 1 .
	
		
			  Domicile  Number Percentage of UK domiciled 18-year-old entrants 
		
		
			 City of Manchester(5507190012) 600 0.4 
			 Manchester, Withington constituency 190 0.1 
			 All UK 152,210 100.0 
		
	
	1 1 Based on 18-year-olds who have a known postcode. In 2002/03, around 2 per cent. of UK domiciles could not be allocated to a constituency using the postcode information held.
	(5507180012) Defined as those students domiciled in the constituencies: Manchester Blackley, Manchester Central, Manchester Gorton and Manchester Withington.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record

Higher Education

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils from the Dagenham constituency have entered higher education in each of the last 15 years.

Kim Howells: The available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Information on the parliamentary constituency domicile of a student is derived from the students' postcode.
	
		18-year-old undergraduate entrants to UK HE institutions from Dagenham constituency
		
			 Academic year Entrants 
		
		
			 1997/98(5507190013) 80 
			 1998/99 90 
			 1999/2000 80 
			 2000/01 85 
			 2001/02 95 
			 2002/03 100 
		
	
	(5507190013) Figures for 1997/98 do not include entrants at the Open University as these cannot be identified on the dataset.
	Note:
	Figures are based upon a snapshot as at 1 December for 18-year-olds who have a known postcode. In each year, around 2–3 per cent. of UK domiciled students did not have sufficient postcode information to allow them to be allocated to a constituency. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

IT (Disciplinary Procedures)

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in her Department have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills, established in 2001, allows personal use of the internet and email outside normal working hours. Staff are warned that internet access may be monitored and misuse may lead to disciplinary action. Staff are reminded of the policy each time they log on to the Department's network and must indicate that they accept the policy before log in can be completed.
	The number of cases of computer misuse within the Department for Education and Skills is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of cases Warning issued Disciplinary action taken 
		
		
			 2001 14 6 8 
			 2002 5 0 5 
			 2003 2 0 2 
			 2004 1 0 1 
		
	
	New monitoring software, introduced in 2003, prevents staff accessing any inappropriate site, and records any attempted access.

Learning and Skills Council

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the (a) national, (b) regional and (c) county branches of the Learning and Skills Council spent on (i) fees to management consultancy firms, broken down by firm, (ii) the Centre for Excellence in Leadership, (iii) the Learning and Skills Development Agency and (iv) the Standards Unit in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Low Skills

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her latest estimate is of the number of people of working age in Leeds West constituency who have low or no skills.

Ivan Lewis: Estimates of the number of people of working age in Leeds West who have low or no skills are shown in the following table.
	
		Level of highest qualification held by people of working age,2003/04
		
			  Leeds West (number) Leeds West (percentage) Yorkshire and the Humber (percentage) Great Britain (percentage) 
		
		
			 Below NVQ2 or equivalent 11,750 17.6 20.4 19.3 
			 No qualifications 13,000 20.2 16.0 15.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey, 2003/04

Pupil Absenteeism

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list for 2003–04 for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each parliamentary constituency (i) the number of day pupils of compulsory school age, (ii) the number of pupils that missed at least one session due to unauthorised absence, (iii) the percentage of day pupils absent for at least one session and (iv) the percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Libraries.

Senior Women

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many women there are in senior positions in her Department.

Derek Twigg: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the Civil Service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/publications/xls/gender_apr04_4nov04.xls.

Sixth Forms

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the post-16 participation rates were of pupils attending (a) schools without a sixth form and (b) schools with a sixth form, by socio-economic grouping in the last year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The following table shows participation rates for 16-year-olds in 2002 by parental socio-economic status for people who were in maintained schools in year 11 in 2000/01. Rates are provided for (i) full-time education and (ii) education and training. Figures are only available for pupils who were in maintained schools in year 11.
	
		Participation rates of 16-year-olds in 2002 -- Percentage
		
			  Participation in full-time education Participation in education and training(5507190014) 
			 Parental occupation (NS-SEC) Maintained schools without sixth form Maintained schools with sixth form Maintained schools without sixth form Maintained schools with sixth form 
		
		
			 Higher professional 81 86 93 94 
			 Lower professional 73 79 88 89 
			 Intermediate 65 68 80 82 
			 Lower supervisory 55 59 77 77 
			 Routine 57 60 75 77 
			 Other 63 63 77 77 
			 Total 66 70 82 84 
		
	
	(5507190014) Education and training includes those in full-time education; Government Supported Training; in employment with training; or in other education and training.
	Source:
	Youth Cohort Study, Cohort 11

SEN Children

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she made of the number of children with special educational needs who receive free transport to school because (a) it is specified in a statement and (b) it has been agreed between the parent and local education authority but is not specified in a statement.

Derek Twigg: We do not collect that information.

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay-grade.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 21 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1640–641W.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 her special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 760W.

Student Grants

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how she will assess the income of a household for means testing for student grant awards.

Kim Howells: Under the current income assessment for higher education student support, the gross taxable income of the student is added to that of their parents or partner to arrive at the total household income. Certain types of income are disregarded, in particular, any income earned by the student from jobs done during the course. Local education authorities will assess the student's income in the current academic year and, usually, the parents' or partner's income in the previous financial year. LEAs will then work out whether the student is entitled to a Higher Education Grant and whether their parents or partner should pay a contribution towards the student's tuition fees and living costs.

Student Grants

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the income of step-parents will be taken into account when assessing a student for (a) a grant award and (b) the remission of tuition fees.

Kim Howells: For higher education students starting their course in 2004/05 or after, the income of step-parents will be taken into account in the assessment of grants for tuition fees and grants for living costs.

Taskforces

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on taskforces and similar bodies in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 December 2004
	The information requested for taskforces is listed as follows. Information on the costs of other individual ad hoc advisory groups is not available.
	
		
			  Taskforce Cost (£) 
		
		
			 1997 — 0 
			 1998 Disability Rights Task Force (DRTF), New Deal Task Force (NDTF), Skills Task Force (STF) 204,000 
			 1999 DRTF, NDTF, STF 539,000 
			 2000 NDTF, STF 798,000 
			 2001 — 0 
			 2002 — 0 
			 2003 — 0 
			 2004 — 0

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claimants (Dagenham)

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each ward of the Dagenham constituency claim (a) disability living allowance and (b) winter fuel payments.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of people in each ward of the Dagenham constituency in receipt of disability living allowance and winter fuel payments is in the table.
	
		
			  Ward name Disability living allowance  Winter fuel payment 
		
		
			 Alibon 600 1610 
			 Chadwell Heath 405 1990 
			 Eastbrook 423 1930 
			 Heath 555 1790 
			 Parsloes 610 1555 
			 River 535 1435 
			 Valence 615 1800 
			 Village 535 1555 
			 Whalebone 385 1615 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All Wards based on Census Wards—those current as at April 2003.
	2. DLA figures are taken at August 2003, the latest currently available at ward level, and include all DLA claimants including children, working age and pensioners claiming DLA.
	3. WFP Data is the latest currently available, Winter 2003–04.
	4. All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre

Child Custody (Legal Expenses)

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether regulations allow ongoing legal expenses, incurred through contesting custody and access arrangements, to be included in a lone parent's necessary expenditure when an assessment is made by the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: Ongoing legal expenses incurred through contesting custody and access arrangements are not included in a lone parent's necessary expenditure when an assessment is made by the Child Support Agency under either the old or new schemes.

Company Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the advice he has received on the compatibility of auto-enrolment of employees in company pension schemes with the European Distance Marketing Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: I have asked officials to carry out research to explore the effectiveness of automatic enrolment as a way of increasing participation in work-based pension schemes, and to identify any practical and legislative requirements that may discourage employers from adopting this and related joining techniques.
	Occupational pensions are not affected by the European Directive on Distance Marketing of Financial Services and its associated regulations. Personal pensions can in certain circumstances be affected where the pension contract requires an employee contribution and is established exclusively by distance marketing methods, i.e. without any face to face contact between the provider and the employee in question.
	The Financial Services (Distance Marketing) Regulations 2004 do not prevent the use of automatic enrolment with personal pensions where the employee makes a prior request for the provision of financial services, or where there is no requirement on the employee to contribute, or where the contract is not established exclusively at a distance.
	The Department is working closely with the Financial Services Authority and HM Treasury to help employers who operate automatic enrolment, or who are considering using it, to understand their obligations under these regulations.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training staff who work for the Child Support Agency receive in understanding the law in relation to child support; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: holding answer 7 December 2004
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 11 January 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about he Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training staff who work for the Child Support Agency receive in understanding the law in relation to Child Support; and if he will make a statement.
	Child Support Agency staff receive training on the Child Support Act using Decision Makers Guides and Child Support Guides. Training on decision-making includes the Child Support Act, Case Law and Statute Law.
	Staff which deal with issues such as enforcement and debt collection receive specialist training.

Departmental Policies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency of his Department's policies since 8 June 2001.

Chris Pond: We have undertaken a fundamental overhaul of the welfare system, transforming it to an active system that fights poverty, creates opportunity and helps people become self-sufficient and independent.
	Since 2001 the Government have significantly extended and improved civil rights for disabled people in areas such as employment, education, access to goods and services and transport. Disabled people in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East will have benefited from these improvements in disability rights. Similarly families with severely disabled 3 and 4-year-old children who are unable, or virtually unable, to walk will have benefited from the Government's decision to lower the minimum age entitlement to the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance from April 2001, whilst older and less well-off carers have gained extra help through the provisions within the National Carers Strategy.
	Through Jobcentre Plus, we are promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age. The number of people in work is at historically high levels of over 28.39 million; in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East, the proportion in employment has risen to 68.1 per cent.
	Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over-50s and partners of unemployed people to move from benefit into work. Nationally over 1.1 million people have been helped into work by the New Deals, with over 2,890 in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East alone.
	Significant progress has been made in eradicating child poverty and the latest figures for 2002–03 show that there were over half a million fewer children in relative low income than there were in 1996–97. Since 2001–02 incomes for lone parents in receipt of benefit have risen by more than prices or the cost of living. In April 2005 the child allowance rate in income support for a child up to 18 years old will have been increased by 40 per cent. since 2001–02. Child rates in income support and jobseeker's allowance are also being increased above inflation in April 2005 in line with child tax credit upratings. All of this has benefited 2,200 families in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East.
	We want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country and our first priority has been to help the poorest pensioners. The Government will be spending nearly £10 billion more in 2004–05 (in 2004–05 prices) on pensioners as a result of measures introduced since 1997, with around half going to the poorest third.
	Our reforms include the state second pension, which helps more future pensioners build up better pensions, especially carers. Pension credit, introduced from October 2003, provides a contribution to a guaranteed minimum income for those aged 60 and over and, for the first time, those aged 65 and over may be rewarded for savings and income. Around 5,000 pensioners in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East are receiving pension credit, with an average award of £37.31 per week.
	We know that older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. This winter (2004–05) we have again made available a winter fuel payment of £200 for each eligible household with someone aged 60 or over, to help with their fuel bills. The additional 80+ Annual Payment gives an extra £100 to eligible households where there is someone aged 80 or over. Last winter there were 13,740 households in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East which received the winter fuel payment and, of those, 2,885 households received the additional Annual Payment. We expect numbers to be similar for this winter (2004–05).
	Additionally for this year eligible households with someone aged 70 or over will receive the One-off 70+ Payment of £100 to help with living expenses including council tax bills. It will be paid with the winter fuel payment and last winter there were 7,970 households in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East with someone aged 70 or over which received a winter fuel payment. We expect a similar number to receive the One-off 70+ Payment this winter (2004–05).
	Some 17,800 pensioners in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland benefited from the above inflation increase in the rate of basic state pension from April 2003. Those over 75, of whom we estimate there are about 7,000 in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East, may also qualify for free TV licences.
	In 2002–03 we estimate there were around 10 million adults (22 per cent.) and 0.7 million children (5 per cent.) in Great Britain likely to be covered by the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
	The figures can be broken down to regional level which shows that 29 per cent. of adults and 6 per cent. of children in the North East are likely to be covered by the provisions of the DDA.
	Information on the numbers of customers in the North East who are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance (AA) is in the following table. This information is not available at constituency level.
	
		North East
		
			 Operational year DLA/AA recipients 
		
		
			 2001 208,000 
			 2002 213,000 
			 2003 219,000 
			 2004 224,000 
		
	
	Source:
	DWP Information Centre. Figures are from a 5 per cent. sample at 31 May each year.

Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the outcome was of the Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 7 December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: I represented the UK for the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Brussels on 7 December 2004, accompanied by my hon. friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumers and Postal Services (Mr. Sutcliffe).
	The Council reached political agreement on a draft directive protecting workers from the risks of exposure to optical radiation. I maintained the UK parliamentary scrutiny reserve on this item.
	On working time, there was no agreement. Although there was majority support for the Dutch Presidency proposed solution to SIMAP/Jaeger, a blocking minority supported by the Commission opposed the Presidency compromise. However, the Council debate provided a useful way forward for further discussion.
	The Council endorsed the Employment Committee's Opinion on the Annual Commission Report on migration and integration without discussion.
	The Council endorsed the EMCO and SPC opinion on the Kok report, and completed a table round on the Social Policy Agenda in the context of the Lisbon Strategy. The Commissioner emphasised that the EU must respond to the challenges of globalisation, ageing, increasing diversity and the shift to a knowledge-based society. All delegations agreed that Lisbon was the right strategy to tackle this, and did not need to be revisited. The SPA must in turn support Lisbon, increasing the quantity and quality of jobs, balancing flexibility and security, and building social inclusion. For the UK, I intervened to argue that employment was always the best social policy and, furthermore, that employment growth was the key to sustaining the European Social Model. I emphasised that economic and social policy were therefore mutually dependent rather than being in conflict with each other.
	The Council agreed a general approach to the recast on the Directives covering on Equal Treatment between men and women without discussion. There was no discussion on this point.
	The Council agreed a general approach to extending funding for the two equality programmes—the Community framework strategy on gender equality and the Community Action Programme—to 2006, without discussion.
	The Council adopted the Council Conclusions on sexual harassment at the workplace without discussion.

Income Support

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) male and (b) female recipients of income support, excluding minimum income guarantees and pension credit there have been in each year since 1979.

Chris Pond: The information is in the following table:
	
		Income support claimants and supplementary benefit claimants by gender
		
			  Male Female 
		
		
			 1979 572,000 560,000 
			 1980 798,000 625,000 
			 1981 1,233,000 752,000 
			 1982 1,591,000 895,000 
			 1983 1,714,000 984,000 
			 1984 1,856,000 1,070,000 
			 1985(5507190015) Not available Not available 
			 1986 2,017,000 1,204,000 
			 1987 1,912,000 1,256,000 
			 1988 1,403,000 1,229,000 
			 1989 1,317,000 1,237,000 
			 1990 1,245,000 1,261,000 
			 1991 1,527,000 1,385,000 
			 1992 1,880,000 1,565,000 
			 1993 2,096,000 1,694,000 
			 1994 2,136,200 1,753,400 
			 1995 2,089,900 1,796,900 
			 1996(5507190016) 1,982,700 1,799,600 
			 1997(5507190016) 765,400 1,472,900 
			 1998 762,900 1,431,400 
			 1999 765,900 1,424,600 
			 2000 783,000 1,413,000 
			 2001 798,400 1,412,900 
			 2002 791,900 1,391,800 
			 2003 801,600 1,402,500 
			 2004 784,300 1,375,600 
		
	
	(5507190015) Numbers are not available due to industrial action.
	(5507190016) Unemployed claimants are included in the figures up to and including 1996. Income support for the unemployed was replaced by income-based jobseeker's allowance in October 1996.
	Note:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand up to and including 1993 and to the nearest hundred thereafter.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Income support replaced supplementary benefit in April 1988.
	4. Excludes pensioners which are defined as follows:
	Up to and including 1987, pensioners are defined as claimants of pensionable age. From 1988 pensioners are defined as benefit units where either the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 or over
	5. Numbers are based on sample data and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
	6. All estimates relate to a point in time. For 1979 the month of the inquiry was November, for 1980 to 1984 the month was December, for 1986 the month was February, 1987 to 2004 was May.
	Source:
	DWP Information Centre, 1 per cent. and 5 per cent. samples.

Pensioners

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Eltham are receiving (a) pension credit, (b) winter fuel payment, (c) free TV licences and (d) the additional £100 council tax contribution; and how much has been spent on each of these.

Malcolm Wicks: At 31 October there were 3,040 households, comprising 3,670 individuals, receiving pension credit in Eltham, with an average award of £47.92. Between 1 October 2003 and 31 October 2004 an estimated £8.2 million, rounded to the nearest £100,000, was paid in pension credit in Eltham.
	In winter 2003–04 there were 14,505 people in Eltham in receipt of winter fuel payment, at a cost of £2,530,250. We expect the figures for this winter to be similar.
	Information on the numbers of households in receipt of free television licences, or the amount spent, is not available by constituency. The number of households with at least one resident aged 75 or over in Eltham was 4,835 in winter 2003–04. Each of these households would be eligible for a free TV licence. Total expenditure on free TV licences in the United Kingdom in 2003–04 was around £408 million.
	Of the 14,505 people who received a winter fuel payment in Eltham in 2003–04, 8,415 were aged over 70. We expect a similar number to receive the One-off 70+ Payment of £100 this winter. The cost of this payment is not yet available.
	Notes:
	1. Numbers of recipients are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Pension credit figures are available for 31 October 2004 as the final output of processes that were put in place to deliver special monthly reporting during the first year of the roll-out of pension credit. As Parliament was told in the statement accompanying the last such report, data will in future be available on a quarterly basis, in line with standard departmental practice. The next report, covering data as at 31 December 2004, should be laid in the House in January 2005.
	3. The figure for expenditure on free TV licences is derived from the BBC Annual Report and Accounts and is rounded to the nearest million pounds.
	4. Any residence found to have four or more occupants aged 60 and over is not included in the total household figure as it is assumed to be RCNH (Residential Care/Nursing Home).

Pensioners

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many pensioners in Scotland were eligible for the £100 winter fuel payment for the over eighties last winter; and how many received it;
	(2)  how many pensioners in Scotland will be eligible for an additional winter fuel payment for the over eighties this winter.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of people in Scotland eligible to receive the additional winter fuel payment for the over eighties. 184,760 pensioners in Scotland received the additional winter fuel payment for the over eighties last winter. We would expect the number to be similar for this winter.
	Note:
	Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Communications Director

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the last date of employment of her Department's most recent Communications Director was; what steps she has taken to find a replacement; and when she expects a replacement to be in place.

Margaret Beckett: The Department's former Director of Communications left on 23 July 2004 to take up another appointment. Recruitment consultants were engaged to assist in the search and advertising process to identify a replacement, in line with the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Code. An advertisement was placed in the Sunday Times on 11 July and the Times on 15 July.
	The selection panel was chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner, Maggie Semple. Other members were Defra's Permanent Secretary, Sir Brian Bender; the Permanent Secretary, Government Communications, Howell James; and the Chief Executive of the Countryside Agency, Richard Wakeford who is one of Defra's non-executive board members. A long- listing and short-listing process took place prior to the panel interviews. The decision not to make an appointment as a result of this competition has just been taken and all candidates have been notified. Further consideration is being given to the means of filling the vacancy.

Communications Director

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is supervising the day-to-day running of her Department's Communications Unit; what that person's official job title is; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Ms Kelly Freeman is currently the acting Director of Communications for Defra.

Hazardous Waste Directive

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the impact of European Court of Justice case C-431/02, as detailed in OJ C300 volume 47 of 4 December, on UK implementation of Directive 91/689/EEC; what measures she will take to comply with the ruling; and what estimate she has made of the costs which will be incurred in so complying.

Elliot Morley: Compliance with the ruling on the implementation of Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste will largely be achieved in England through new hazardous waste regulations which are planned to come fully into force in July 2005. Defra completed a consultation on the new regime in October 2004. The consultation paper is available on the following website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wastereg-haz/index.htm.
	The estimated costs of compliance are set out in the partial regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the consultation. Comprehensive guidance for businesses on the new regulations is proposed to be published three months before the new regime comes into force. Full compliance with the ruling will be complete once revised exemptions from waste management licensing requirements for establishments involved in the recovery and reuse of hazardous wastes are consulted on and implemented later in 2005.

Landfill

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if it is Government policy to comply with the requirements of Article 5 of the Landfill Directive in 2010, 2013 and 2020.

Elliot Morley: Yes; Government policies such as the Landfill Tax, local authority statutory performance standards for recycling and composting and the Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme will help ensure that the targets set out in Article 5(2) of the Landfill Directive are met (taking into account the four year derogation available to member states that landfilled over 80 per cent. of its municipal waste in 1995).

Landfill

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total operational landfill capacity was closed in each year between 1999 and 2003.

Elliot Morley: The data are not available in the format requested. The Environment Agency does not hold data on 'closed operational capacity'. Landfills licensed under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 do not 'close'. The operator can choose to stop operating and yet still have a waste management licence. He can choose to surrender his licence but not until he has satisfied the legislative requirements for surrender.

Pair Trawling

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to take concerning the pair trawling team that caused the deaths of dolphins whilst fishing for bass near Bigbury Bay, Devon, on 13 November; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 29 November 2004
	According to scientists who carry out post mortem examinations on behalf of Defra on stranded cetaceans, the stranding of a live common dolphin in the Bigbury Bay area on 17 November was not caused by pair trawling or any other fishing activity in the area on 13 November. The cause of death may be due to old age or disease but will be known once the full post mortem has been conducted.
	However, Defra-funded research has already demonstrated a bycatch problem associated with the pair trawl fishery for bass which is why I intend to introduce legislation to prohibit this fishery within 12 miles of the south west coast.

Seamounts

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she has taken for the protection and management of Seamounts as referred to in her letter of 9 September to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, reference 20272/JF.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK is continuing to work through the EU and other international fora to improve the management and protection of the marine environment. The need for additional protection for seamounts will be an element in these considerations.
	Recently, all North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission contracting parties supported the Norwegian proposal to ban all fishing, apart from pelagic trawling in four seamounts (Hecate, Altair, Antialair, and Faraday seamounts, as well as a section of the Reykjanes Ridge). A fifth, for Hatton Bank, awaits further scientific advice.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether she has been informed of breaches of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers in her Department since its implementation;
	(2)  how many appeals were made by civil servants to the Civil Service Commissioners regarding special advisers in her Department between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 and when each appeal was lodged.

Alun Michael: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Mrs Ruth Kelly), on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 5781V.

Waste

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much liquid hazardous waste was deposited in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 in merchant landfill sites' proprietary landfills in the year before such landfilling was banned; and where and how such liquid hazardous waste is now being treated.

Elliot Morley: Data for liquid special waste deposited in landfills to the nearest tonne were recorded as follows for each of the years indicated:
	
		Liquid special waste sent to landfill (tonnes)
		
			  
		
		
			 2000 142,227 
			 2001 139,362 
			 2002 (5507190017)63,850 
		
	
	(5507190017) Up until the ban of hazardous liquid disposal by landfill came into force in July 2002. Data for 1998 and 1999 are not immediately available
	Since the ban on hazardous liquid disposal by landfill came into force typical treatments for hazardous liquid wastes will have included physico-chemical treatment and biological treatment processes.
	These use techniques such as precipitation, coagulation and filtration with subsequent dewatering of sludges and disposal of treated non-hazardous liquids to sewer with appropriate discharge consents. Some high temperature incineration and or use as a fuel may also have been employed where the waste either was of a sufficiently high calorific value or could not otherwise be treated. No figures are currently available that indicate the amounts sent to each method. The total amount of hazardous liquid waste sent for treatment recorded for 2003 was 1,964,911 tonnes.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of waste were sent to sites registered as exempt with the Environment Agency in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002 and (e) 2003.

Elliot Morley: These data are not available in the format requested. Those who register exemptions with the Environment Agency are not required to submit reports to the agency on the quantities of waste they handle. While many of the exemptions prescribe quantity limits (weight/volume), registrants are also currently not required to keep records of the quantities of waste handled in undertaking the specified activities.
	However, where waste is received at exempt sites, the provisions of the Duty of Care (DoC) apply in respect of the transfer of waste to the registrant. The DoC requires records of waste transfers to be kept by both parties so there is an audit trail for the waste, including the amount of waste transferred.
	The Department is about to put forward amending regulations to six of the higher risk exemptions. These amendments will require those who register these exemptions to keep records of the amount of waste handled for two years. We are also considering how data provision could be improved in the future.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites registered as exempt with the Environment Agency were visited by officers of the Environment Agency in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002 and (e) 2003.

Elliot Morley: The number of visits made to exempt sites between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 is given as follows. No information is held on the number of individual sites inspected.
	
		
			  Visits 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (5507190018)4,527 
			 2000–01 (5507190018)3,333 
			 2001–02 (5507190019)3,202 
			 2002–03 (5507190020)3,168 
			 2003–04 (5507190020)4,306 
		
	
	(5507190018) Only to scrap metal sites and those involving the final deposit of waste on land
	(5507190019) Only to scrap metal sites, those involving the final deposit of waste on land and landspreading
	(5507190020) All exemptions

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the Environment Agency's total expenditure is spent tackling the illegal disposal of waste.

Elliot Morley: In 2003–04, the Environment Agency spent approximately 1 per cent. of its total budget in tackling the illegal disposal of waste.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency's budget was for regulation of waste management for (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03 and (d) 2003–04, and what percentage this was of the agency's total budget in each year.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency's budget for the regulation of waste management and its percentage of the agency's total budget in each of the years from 2000–01 to 2003–04 was as follows:
	
		
			  Waste management budget (£ million) Total budget (£ million) Waste management percentage of total budget 
		
		
			 2000–01 73 650 11 
			 2001–02 74 715 10 
			 2002–03 77 759 10 
			 2003–04 82 806 10

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of prosecutions brought by the Environment Agency for alleged incidences of fly-tipping of waste did not result in a conviction.

Elliot Morley: Of 992 prosecutions for the illegal deposit of waste between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2003, only 69 cases (7 per cent.) resulted in the defendants being acquitted of one or more charges.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many convictions were secured by the Environment Agency in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003 for incidences relating to fly-tipping of waste.

Elliot Morley: The number of charges for which a conviction was secured by the Environment Agency in offences relating to the illegal deposit of waste (section 33(1 )(A) of the Environment Protection Act) between 2000–03 was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 317 
			 2001 372 
			 2002 414 
			 2003 345

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total expenditure by the Environment Agency was in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003 resulting from (i) fly-tipping of waste and (ii) other illegal activity by non-regulated persons relating to waste.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency does not produce a detailed analysis of its expenditure that separately identifies the amount of annual expenditure resulting from fly-tipped waste. Nor does it produce such financial data on a calendar year basis.
	However, based on a technical assessment of fiscal-year expenditure, figures are available to show how much the Agency has spent in tackling all illegal waste activity from 1999 to 2003.
	These figures do not include any expenditure on enforcement action in relation to waste management licences or other site permits.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1999–2000 4.3 
			 2000–01 3.5 
			 2001–02 4.7 
			 2002–03 5.5 
			 2003–04 6.9

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of total expenditure on waste management services by local authorities was spent on tendering for waste management contracts in each year between 1999 and 2003.

Elliot Morley: The Department does not collect this information. Information relating to the costs incurred in tendering for waste management contracts will be held only by individual local authorities and may be commercially sensitive.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount spent by local authorities on tendering for contracts (a) to collect and (b) to dispose of waste was in each year between 1999 and 2003.

Elliot Morley: The Department does not collect this information. Information relating to the costs incurred in tendering for waste management contracts will be held only by individual local authorities and may be commercially sensitive.

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what predictions she has made of the total cost to local authorities of managing the municipal waste stream in (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2020.

Elliot Morley: Defra uses models to estimate total local authority expenditure on municipal waste management over a three-year time frame. The estimates generated are based on the best available assumptions at the time.
	The models cannot be used to make firm predictions of spend over a longer time frame because of the increasing number of assumptions and uncertainties involved.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Christmas Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many hours of staff time were taken up in preparation of Christmas cards in 2004;
	(2)  how many departmental staff have responsibility for preparing Christmas cards.

Paul Murphy: The preparation of Christmas cards is carried out during normal working hours and therefore cannot be disaggregated from normal duties. Likewise, as all levels of staff can be involved at various stages of the preparation of Christmas cards it is impossible to give an exact number.

Departmental Entertainment Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Paul Murphy: Information is not held in the format requested by the hon. Member.
	The Northern Ireland Office (excluding its agencies and NDPBs) spent the following overall amounts on entertainment, which incorporates (a), (b), (c) and (d) in each financial year since 1997:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 214,473 
			 1998–99 322,853 
			 1999–2000 320,230 
			 2000–01 246,517 
			 2001–02 221,477 
			 2002–03 363,755 
			 2003–04 319,741 
			 2004–05 (to date) 185,170

Diabetics

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the operation of regulations preventing people with diabetes from holding a driving licence; and whether there are plans to amend these regulations.

Angela Smith: The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (as amended) prescribes insulin-dependent diabetes as a relevant disability in respect of the issue of Group 2 licences (i.e. those that authorise the driving of passenger carrying vehicles and large goods vehicles).
	Subject to certain conditions, a licence authorising the driving of vehicles in categories Cl, Cl+E and Cl+E (8.25 tonnes) (sub-categories of large goods vehicles) may be granted to a person who suffers from insulin dependent diabetes.
	A licence authorising the driving of passenger carrying vehicles must not be issued to a person suffering from insulin dependent diabetes.
	In deciding medical aspects of fitness to drive a motor vehicle the guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Transport's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel is followed.
	The Department for Transport in Great Britain has initiated a programme of research which will help increase knowledge about diabetes and driving and the EC Committee on the Driving Licence has established a working group to look at diabetes and the implications for driving. It is expected to report back to the Driving Licence Committee in spring 2005.
	When the results of these initiatives are known, current arrangements will be reviewed.

EU Project Funding

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the value of European Union funding for projects from LEADER and partnership groups which are dependent on securing planning permission; and what priority is being given by the planning service to current planning applications from LEADER and partnership groups in Northern Ireland which cannot spend approved EU funded grants until planning permission has been received for their project.

Angela Smith: In relation to the LEADER + programme there are 58 projects seeking funding and dependent on securing planning permission. These projects have a cumulative value of £1,155,005.
	The planning service processes all planning applications in an equitable way and strives to process them as expeditiously as possible. It also encourages early contact from and discussions with leader/partnership groups and their agents so that proposals for which EU grant-aid is available are not held up because of potential planning difficulties.

Genitourinary Medicine

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what incentives are being used to aid recruitment of junior medical staff into genitourinary medicine.

Angela Smith: I am not aware of any difficulties in recruiting junior doctors into genitourinary medicine. However, the Department is aware of recruitment difficulties to non-consultant career grade posts. I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 10 November 2004, Official Report, column 788W.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997;
	(2)  whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1258W.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1004W.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

Paul Murphy: I can confirm that no special advisers employed in the Northern Ireland Office have done so since 1997.

HOME DEPARTMENT

2 Marsham Street

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which cable and satellite channels the new Home Office buildings in 2 Marsham Street will receive.

Charles Clarke: Terrestrial channels, Sky package, Parliamentary Channel and Palace Annunciator.

Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the new corporate social responsibility scheme proposed under the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy to commence.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 December 2004
	We have sent an initial outline of the content of the social responsibility scheme to the main trade associations and asked for comments by 10 December. We will be working closely with the trade associations on the detailed drafting of the code of practice throughout January, and aim to issue it for wider consultation in mid February. Discussions around the financial contributions will be taken forward separately, and we aim to work up a proposal for consultation with the industry early in the new year. We aim to have the bulk of the scheme in place by April, although there will be some aspects which will take longer to implement.

Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the consultation period relating to the corporate social responsibility scheme of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy to end.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 December 2004
	We have sent an initial outline of the content of the social responsibility scheme to the main trade associations and asked for comments by 10 December. We will be working closely with the trade associations on the detailed drafting of the code of practice throughout January, and aim to issue it for wider consultation in mid February. Discussions around the financial contributions will be taken forward separately, and we aim to work up a proposal for consultation with the industry early in the new year. We aim to have the bulk of the scheme in place by April, although there will be some aspects which will take longer to implement.

Asylum Seekers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of asylum seekers were being detained in the UK on (a) 1 October 2003 and (b) 1 October 2004.

Des Browne: Information on the number of children of asylum seekers detained as at 1 October 2003 and 1 October 2004 is not available.
	The latest available information shows that as at 25 September 2004, 40 of the people detained solely under Immigration Act powers were recorded as being under 18.
	This information is unavailable for end September 2003 since publication of this series commenced in early 2004 and related to children held as at 27 December 2003.
	Information on the number of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers as at 25 December 2004 will be published on the Home Office website on 22 February 2005 www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the mean length of time children of asylum seekers spent in detention in the 12 months to November.

Des Browne: Information on the mean length of time that children are detained solely under Immigration Act powers over a period of time is not available. It would be available by examination of individual cases files only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest available information shows that as at 25 September 2004, 40 people who were detained solely under Immigration Act powers were recorded as being under 18 years old.
	Information on the number of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers as at 25 December 2004 will be published on the Home Office website on 22 February 2005 www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to monitor the reintegration of failed asylum seekers who have been returned to their country of origin.

Des Browne: Each asylum claim is considered on its own merits taking account of relevant country information, caselaw and factors specific to the individual claim. Where a decision has been taken that an individual would not be at risk if returned to their country and that decision has been upheld by the appellate authorities we consider that it is safe for that individual to be removed.
	We do not consider it necessary to monitor the reintegration of failed asylum seekers who have been removed in accordance with the proper procedures. However, for those who wish to return voluntarily, the International Organisation for Migration arranges reintegration assistance which can consist of access to initial housing, facilitating access to employment, training opportunities, education and health services.

Asylum Seekers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied minors claiming asylum in England have been placed under the care of local authority social services in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 21 December 2004
	The information requested is not available. The table shows total number of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children who applied for asylum in the United Kingdom.
	
		Unaccompanied children(5507190021) , (5507190022) , (5507190023)aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the UK, 1997 to 2003
		
			  Number of principal applicants 
		
		
			 1997 1,105 
			 1998 3,035 
			 1999(5507190024) 3,350 
			 2000(5507190024) 2,735 
			 2001(5507190024) 3,470 
			 2002(5507190025) 6,200 
			 2003(5507190025) , (5507190026) 3,180 
		
	
	(5507190021) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	(5507190022) Unaccompanied at point of arrival, aged (or if no proof) determined to be 17 or under and not known to be joining a relative or guardian in the United Kingdom.
	(5507190023) Figures exclude disputed age cases.
	(5507190024) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices.
	(5507190025) Not comparable with manual counts data prior to 2002.
	(5507190026) Provisional figures.
	While awaiting the outcome of their asylum claims unaccompanied asylum seeking minors are not entitled to state benefits and are supported under the Children Act 1989 with maintenance and accommodation being provided by Social Services Departments of the Local Authorities. Information on asylum applications and removals are published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Building Regulations

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought in each year since 2000 for breach of building regulations.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible from the statistics collected centrally on the Home Office court proceedings database to separately identify those defendants proceeded against for breach of building regulations from other offences under the Building Act 1984.
	However, the number of defendants proceeded against for various offences under the Building Act 1984 are shown in the following table.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Building Act 1984,England and Wales 2000 to 2003(5507190027)
		
			   Proceeded against 
			 Offence description Principal statute 2000(5507190028) 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Various offences related to building regulations including breach of building regulations Building Act 1984 SS 3,19, 23, 25, 35, 61, 68, 72, 77, 85, 96, 99 and 112 148 105 100 95 
			 Public Health Offences related to Building Act 1984—various offences Building Act 1984 SS 11, 52, 63, 73, 74 8 14 3 10 
			 Other summary offences(5507190029) Building Act 1984 sec. 71(4) (5507190030)— (5507190030)— (5507190030)— (5507190030)— 
			 Other indictable offences Building Act 1984 sec. 57 4 — — — 
		
	
	(5507190027) These data are on a principle offence basis.
	(5507190028) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
	(5507190029) Persons proceeded against for other summary offences under the Building Act 1984 cannot be separately identified on the Home Office court proceedings database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be analysed.
	(5507190030) Not available.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in autumn 2005.

CCTV (Ports of Entry)

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV cameras there are at UK ports of entry; and for how long data on CCTV cameras at UK ports of entry is kept.

Des Browne: The UK Immigration Service is one of several authorities, who use CCTV cameras at UK ports of entry. The following information details CCTV cameras used solely by the Immigration Service.
	The Immigration Service operates cameras at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. These are situated at key locations to record both arriving and departing passengers. Details of how many cameras are in operation at ports of entry and the data retention cannot be released, as this would compromise border control operations.
	In addition to the systems operated solely by the Immigration Service access is provided at other locations by the port operators to their local systems.

Child Deaths (State Custody)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to hold a public inquiry in every case where the death of a child in state custody occurs; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Deaths of children in custody are rare. When they do occur we have carefully formulated arrangements for finding out the facts and drawing lessons from them. The Youth Justice Board conducts its own serious incident review, and this feeds into a wider inquiry conducted by the local Area Child Protection Committee. Where a young person was detained in a Young Offender Institution , the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman conducts an investigation. We propose to legislate at the next available opportunity to place the Ombudsman on a statutory footing, equipping him with statutory powers of investigation and extending his remit to investigate deaths to secure training centres. Any death in a local authority Secure Children's Home is investigated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
	In addition, Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights requires a public investigation. This is normally met by an inquest. In two important Article 2 cases this year, the House of Lords has specified how inquests can meet the procedural requirements of Article 2.

Circles Programme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the Circles programme has been introduced; what assessment he has made of its effects; and what plans there are to introduce it elsewhere.

Paul Goggins: Circles of Support and Accountability are being run in the Thames Valley and Hampshire areas. In addition the Lucy Faithfull Foundation are operating in a number of areas using Circles, initially to support former residents of the Wolvercote Clinic.
	The Home Office is in the process of evaluating the scheme and a report is due in March 2005. This report will help to inform any future expansion of the scheme.

Contracted Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will publish cost and statistical data on the performance of each contracted prison against key performance indicators; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he will publish the Annual Report and Accounts for the office of contracted prisons for 2003–04.

Paul Goggins: Information on key performance indicators for contracted prisons was included in the written ministerial statement I made on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 42WS.
	I am also able to provide a list of costs and related information for contracted prisons following the publication of the Home Office Accounts.
	
		
			  Certified normal accommodation Average population Expenditure (£) Cost per prison place (£) Cost per prisoner (£) 
		
		
			 Altcourse 614 996 32,739,936 53,322 32,871 
			 Ashfield 407 278 13,662,084 33,568 49,144 
			 Doncaster 771 1,110 19,097,051 24,769 17,205 
			 Dovegate 860 849 23,584,223 27,424 27,779 
			 Forest Bank 800 1004 21,783,463 27,229 21 ,697 
			 Lowdham Grange 504 522 13,004,116 25,802 24,912 
			 Pare 788 980 32,529,421 41,281 33,193 
			 Rye Hill 600 656 14,935,111 24,892 22,767 
			 Wolds 310 344 6,776,755 21,861 19,700 
			 Total 5,654 6,739 178,112,160 31,502 26,430 
		
	
	The office for contracted prisons is not required to publish an Annual Report or Accounts as it is part of the main Home Office and not an Agency.

Correspondence

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 8 October from the hon. Member for Spelthorne, about a constituent, Mr. P. Duckworth.

Des Browne: holding answer 9 December 2004
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 January. The delay in responding was due to the letter being addressed to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and only being transferred to the Home Office after the hon. Member tabled his question.

Correspondence

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 10 March about a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall, Home Office reference: W1009436.

Des Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my hon. Friend on 5 January 2005.

Crime Statistics (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) burglaries of dwellings, (b) vehicle crimes, (c) crimes in total and (d) arrests there were in the City of York between (i) April and December 2004 and (ii) April and December 2003; what the detection rate was in each category in these periods; and what the percentage change in each was between the two periods.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 January 2005
	Information on the number of recorded offences for the City of York relates to the York Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Statistics at CDRP level are only published on a calendar basis. Figures covering 2002–03 and 2003–04 are available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/cdrptabs.xls
	Detections data is available at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level but not at CDRP level. The City of York comes within the Central BCU and the statistics are only published on a calendar year basis. They are available on the website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/bcu1.xls
	Arrests data is only collected at police force area level and by offence group only.

Custody Plus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional funds will be made available to the prisons and probation services to implement custody plus; and when the measure will be implemented.

Paul Goggins: Implementation of the custody plus provisions will be funded from within the Department's spending review settlement. No final decision has yet been taken on the timing of commencement of these provisions.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the contribution of local Women's Aid and other refuge services to the effectiveness of other agency responses to domestic violence, with particular reference to advocacy services.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 20 December 2004
	The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) Violence against Women Initiative (VAWI) was an evidence based programme which aimed to find out which approaches and strategies were effective in supporting victims and tackling violence against women. In July 2000 27 domestic violence projects and seven rape and sexual assault projects were independently evaluated. The domestic violence projects were all multi-agency partnerships and many of the partner organisations involved in delivering interventions were voluntary groups such as Women's Aid, The projects worked in a variety of contexts and, while most provided some type of advocacy and support, the aims of the projects differed. The findings from the evaluations have been collated, and a series of research reports and concise practitioner guides have already been published. The research findings from those projects which specifically provided advocacy and support to victims are planned to be published, along with two concise practitioner guides, early in 2005.
	The evidence of the CRP VAWI—and recent evaluations of specialist domestic violence courts which make clear that advocacy services are a key part in their success—show the important role advocacy services have to play in supporting victims of domestic violence. Local partnerships responsible for crime and disorder are currently Identifying the need for domestic violence services in their local communities. Once identified, the appropriate organisation to meet that need is selected by local commissioning groups and their effectiveness monitored against criteria set out in their service level agreements.

Environment Department Buildings

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent from public funds on maintaining the offices of the former Department of the Environment buildings from the time it ceased to be working departmental offices to its demolition.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office took on responsibilities for the management and repair of the 2 Marsham Street buildings on 1 April 1999. The building was also used as a shelter for the homeless during one winter. The maintenance costs required to keep the building and site safe from 1 April 1999 to the commencement of demolition on 27 March 2002 was £1.7 million excluding VAT.

Erkin Guney

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Mr. Roy Clark, formerly of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, has been excluded from participation in, or oversight of, the inquiry into the conduct of the police in relation to the wrongful conviction of Erkin Guney; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Roy Clarke is the present Director of Investigations at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and I am advised that he has not participated in any way in the investigation into the conduct of the police in relation to the conviction of Erkin Guney.
	The IPCC has advised that it will always take care to avoid the involvement of any Commissioner or member of staff in a case on its behalf who has had previous involvement in cases which might raise a conflict of interest.

Female Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average reconviction rate of female prisoners was in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The most recent data is given in the table, which shows the percentage of females who were reconvicted of standard list offences within two years of discharge from prison.
	
		Table 1: Rate of reconvictions of female prisoners
		
			  Reconviction rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 2001 57 
			 2000 54 
			 1999 55 
			 1998 52 
			 1997 51 
		
	
	The probability that a discharged prisoner will be reconvicted is strongly associated with a number of factors including age and previous criminal history. The reconviction rates reported for prison discharges have not been adjusted to take into account any changes over time in the characteristics of offenders being given prison sentences.

Female Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female vulnerable prisoner units there are.

Paul Goggins: There are no vulnerable prisoner units (VPU) in the female estate as the number of female sex offenders is too small for an estate-wide VPU scheme. While vulnerable women prisoners may be separated from other prisoners for periods of time, the general aim is to reintegrate them into normal prison life as soon as possible and give them support to do so.

Fines

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce a new unit fines system.

Paul Goggins: The Management of Offenders and Sentencing Bill will contain provisions for a day fine scheme. The proposed scheme will provide a statutory method for calculating fines based upon the seriousness of the offence, measured in terms of the number of days imposed, multiplied by the financial value given to each day based on the offender's disposable income. The aim is to provide for greater consistency and fairness so that fines bear more equally on offenders of differing means.

Fines

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to ensure that imprisonment cannot be a penalty for non-payment of a fine where imprisonment could not have been imposed as a penalty for the original offence.

Paul Goggins: Within the broad statutory limits set by Parliament, sentences in individual cases are a matter for the courts alone, taking into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender. The Government believes that prison sentences should be reserved for those who are either serious, dangerous or seriously persistent offenders. Equally, offenders cannot expect to go unpunished if they fail to pay a fine.
	The court may issue a warrant of commitment: if the offender has failed to pay a fine and the court has, since the conviction, enquired into the defaulter's means in his presence on at least one occasion; in the case of an offence punishable with imprisonment, the defaulter appears to the court to have sufficient means to pay the sum forthwith; or the court is satisfied that the default is due to the defaulter's wilful refusal or culpable neglect and the court has considered or tried all other means of enforcing payment of the sum and it appears to the court that they are inappropriate or unsuccessful.
	The Courts Act 2004 introduced a number of measures short of imprisonment that could be imposed on offenders in order to enforce fine payment. These include vehicle clamping, credit blacklisting and work for the community. These measures are currently being piloted.

Gangmasters

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms were of the proposal which he submitted to the Department of Trade and Industry relating to regulation of gangmasters prior to the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy.

Des Browne: holding answer 20 December 2004
	During the latter half of 2003, the former Home Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) raised with colleagues in other Departments, including the Department for Trade and Industry, his general concerns about the role of some labour suppliers in encouraging the use of illegal migrant labour and in breaching other legislation. These discussions took place as part of the normal process of formulating Government policy, and included the possibility of legislative action. The option to introduce measures in the Bill that became the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 was raised, but a consensus was subsequently reached to support the private Member's Bill introduced by my hon. Friend, the Member for West Renfrewshire (Jim Sheridan).

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the working groups which are tasked with taking forward work on (a) identity cards and (b) biometrics.

Des Browne: The Identity Cards Programme has a governance structure involving a number of groups both interdepartmental and internal to the Home Office. The groups are: the Strategy Board, Programme Board, Transition Planning Project Board, Principal Users Group and Home Office Multilateral. The Programme is also working closely with key private sector stakeholders who are forming a private sector user group to contribute to the design and development of the scheme.
	Associated groups taking forward work on biometric technology are: the Home Office Strategic Identification Systems Group, Inter-departmental Group on Strategic Identification Systems, UK Passport Service Biometrics Trial Programme Board, Immigration Biometric Identification Programme Board, and Immigration and Nationality Biometrics Co-ordination and Strategy Steering Group. A Biometrics Assurance Group under Sir David King Government Chief Scientific Advisor is being established to provide peer review.

Identity Cards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he plans for (a) supply of and (b) charging for identity cards for (i) vagrants, (ii) homeless people, (iii) travellers, (iv) mentally ill people after discharge and (v) prisoners on release.

Des Browne: The Government are clear about the need to ensure those who may have difficulty in obtaining a card are dealt with sympathetically. There is therefore provision in the Identity Cards Bill for regulations to make different requirements for different cases, with exemptions and exceptions.
	In developing the detailed processes for the supply of cards to people in these groups, we will carefully examine their specific needs and look to adopt good practice identified by other Government Departments. As part of designing an inclusive scheme, we have also included powers in the Bill to set different levels of fees for identity cards for different circumstances. The final decision on the fee structure and levels of fees will be for Parliament under the powers in clause 37 of the Bill.

Identity Cards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it will be an offence not to produce an identity card to authenticate the exchange of information required for car collisions.

Des Browne: It will not be an offence to fail to produce an identity card in these circumstances. Clause 15 (3) of the Identity Cards Bill makes it clear that there will be no future requirement to carry a card. An identity card may be used voluntarily in the circumstances described above, as a proof of identity. It will not however contain any information which relates to the holder's entitlement to drive.

Identity Cards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) financial institutions, (b) shops and (c) restaurants will be entitled to (i) demand to see identity cards as proof of identity, (ii) check the authenticity of cards produced and (iii) call in the police to check cards in the event of disputes.

Des Browne: The Identity Cards Bill which received its second reading in the House of Commons on 20 December 2004 contains no such provisions. Clause 18 of the Bill prohibits any organisation from requiring the production of an identity card as the sole means of proving identity in advance of it being compulsory to register with the scheme. Even after compulsion, there is no means within the Bill to provide powers to private sector organisations to demand the production of an identity card.
	In the event that a fraudulent card is found to be in use, the Identity Cards Bill creates new offences relating to possession of a false identity document. This provides that a person in possession of a false identity card with the intention of using it, may be guilty of an offence and liable to a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

Identity Cards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of identity cards likely to be lost or stolen each year.

Des Browne: The current working assumption is that in any one year 2 per cent. of card holders will lose their card or have it stolen. This is a higher rate than currently applies for passports.

Identity Fraud

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the Passport Service to reduce identity fraud.

Des Browne: As indicated in its 2004–09 Corporate and Business Plan, the UK Passport Service is taking forward a range of initiatives to reduce identity fraud through strengthened identity authentication and improved fraud detection and prevention. The Passport Service's programme of work which has been informed by, and is closely related to the recommendations of the Cabinet Office study on identity fraud published in 2002, includes:
	Increasing data-sharing with public and private sector organisations;
	Requiring applicants applying for their first passports to attend for personal interview;
	Improving systems and staff training in identity authentication, and increasing the professionalism of its fraud investigation capability;
	Improving the security of the passport book, through the introduction of biometric chip enabled passports from autumn 2005;
	Using facial recognition technology to detect fraudulent applications;
	Use of its new Omnibase, and Lost/Stolen/Recovered global passport databases to detect and prevent fraud;
	Working with law enforcement agencies to apprehend, disrupt and dismantle the activities of those involved in identity fraud; and
	Supporting the work of the Home Office's Identity Fraud Steering Committee in promoting closer public/private sector collaboration in combating identity fraud.
	Announcing on 27 October our decision in principle to establish a new Executive Agency to issue identity cards starting in 2008.
	This Agency would incorporate the functions of the UK Passport Service. Implementation of its planned programme of work, including all of the above actions and projects to reduce identity fraud, would act as building blocks for a future ID card enrolment network and system, and smooth the introduction of secure biometric ID cards and the national identity register, assuming the relevant legislation is enacted by Parliament.

Immigration Offences

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions have been secured in each of the last four quarters for which data is available for offences under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

Paul Goggins: The information contained in the table gives the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, Section 8, England and Wales 2003.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts(5507190031) under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, Sec 8, England and Wales 2003
		
			 Quarter Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 January to March — — 
			 April to June 1 1 
			 July to September — — 
			 October to December 1 — 
			 Total 2 1 
		
	
	(5507190031) These data are on the principal immigration offence basis.

IND Case

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will resolve the immigration status of a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall, reference number: A530709.

Des Browne: A Senior Director of Operations in the Immigration Nationality Directorate sent an interim reply to my hon. Friend on 9 December 2004.

Muslim Prisoners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) female and (b) male prisoners who classify themselves as Muslims are held in each prison service establishment in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The information requested, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system on 31 October 2004, is provided in the table.
	
		Population of Muslim prisoners, by gender and establishment England and Wales, 31 October 2004
		
			  Males Females 
		
		
			 All 6,758 146 
			 Acklington 18 0 
			 Albany 23 0 
			 Altcourse 33 0 
			 Ashfield 6 0 
			 Ashwell 64 0 
			 Askham Grange 0 2 
			 Aylesbury 55 0 
			 Bedford 46 0 
			 Belmarsh 132 0 
			 Birmingham 193 0 
			 Blakenhurst 71 0 
			 Blantyre House 8 0 
			 Blundeston 74 0 
			 Brinsford 62 0 
			 Bristol 33 0 
			 Brixton 170 0 
			 Brockhill 0 6 
			 Bronzefield 0 7 
			 Buckley Hall 0 4 
			 Bullingdon 115 0 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 11 
			 Camp Hill 67 0 
			 Canterbury 11 0 
			 Cardiff 38 0 
			 Castington 8 0 
			 Channings Wood 30 0 
			 Chelmsford 40 0 
			 Coldingly 43 0 
			 Cookham Wood 0 4 
			 Dartmoor 23 0 
			 Deerbolt 21 0 
			 Doncaster 99 0 
			 Dorchester 12 0 
			 Dovegate 124 0 
			 Dover 113 0 
			 Downview 0 9 
			 Drake Hall 0 8 
			 Durham 15 0 
			 East Sutton Park 0 9 
			 Eastwood Park 0 5 
			 Edmunds Hill 0 1 
			 Elmley 74 0 
			 Erlestoke 35 0 
			 Everthorpe 46 0 
			 Exeter 140 0 
			 Featherstone 77 0 
			 Feltham 153 0 
			 Ford 53 0 
			 Forest Bank 85 0 
			 Foston Hall 0 16 
			 Frankland 50 0 
			 Full Sutton 78 0 
			 Garth 70 0 
			 Gartree 32 0 
			 Glen Parva 41 0 
			 Gloucester 10 0 
			 Grendon (Spring Hill) 77 0 
			 Guys Marsh 34 0 
			 Haslar 44 0 
			 Haverigg 30 0 
			 Hewell Grange 22 0 
			 Highdown 69 0 
			 Highpoint 90 0 
			 Hindley 42 0 
			 Hollesley Bay (Warren Hill) 28 0 
			 Holloway 0 19 
			 Holme House 26 0 
			 Hull 27 0 
			 Huntercombe 47 0 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 7 0 
			 Kirkham 36 0 
			 Kirklevington 16 0 
			 Lancaster 3 0 
			 Lancaster Farms 21 0 
			 Latchmere House 35 0 
			 Leeds 161 0 
			 Leicester 38 0 
			 Lewes 13 0 
			 Leyhill 47 0 
			 Lincoln 15 0 
			 Lindholme 105 0 
			 Littlehey 48 0 
			 Liverpool 63 0 
			 Long Lartin 70 0 
			 Low Newton 0 3 
			 Lowdham Grange 61 0 
			 Maidstone 50 0 
			 Manchester 120 0 
			 Moorland 93 0 
			 Moorland Open 30 0 
			 Morton Hall 0 9 
			 Mount 117 0 
			 New Hall 0 12 
			 North Sea Camp 26 0 
			 Northallerton 11 0 
			 Norwich 60 0 
			 Nottingham 37 0 
			 Onley 53 0 
			 Pare 26 0 
			 Parkhurst 45 0 
			 Pentonville 221 0 
			 Portland 93 0 
			 Preston 46 0 
			 Ranby 54 0 
			 Reading 22 0 
			 Risley 75 0 
			 Rochester 58 0 
			 Rye Hill 104 0 
			 Send 0 14 
			 Shepton Mallet 12 0 
			 Shrewsbury 17 0 
			 Stafford 55 0 
			 Standford Hill 44 0 
			 Stocken 42 0 
			 Stoke Heath 32 0 
			 Styal 0 9 
			 Sudbury 69 0 
			 Swaleside 139 0 
			 Swansea 5 0: 
			 Swinfen Hall 46 0 
			 Thorn Cross 38 0 
			 Usk (Frescoed) 14 0 
			 Verne 58 0 
			 Wakefield 30 0 
			 Wandsworth 206 0 
			 Warren Hill 21 0 
			 Wayland 76 0 
			 Wealstun 70 0 
			 Weare 20 0 
			 Wellingborough 43 0 
			 Werrington 9 0 
			 Wetherby 18 0 
			 Whatton 22 0 
			 Whitemoor 78 0 
			 Winchester 17 0 
			 Wolds 29 0 
			 Woodhill 105 0 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 205 0 
			 Wymott 60 0

Oakington Reception Centre

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions are in place to ensure that staff at Oakington Reception Centre obtain senior level authorisation before detaining children.

Des Browne: The initial detention of all applicants, including families with children, accepted for transfer to Oakington Reception Centre is authorised at the appropriate level prior to their transfer to the Centre by the detaining port, local enforcement office (LEO) or Asylum Screening Unit (ASU).
	Following the transfer of any family to Oakington for their application to be considered, detention is reviewed within 48 hours by the Assistant Director or by an Inspector in her absence.

Passports

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the British population has a passport.

Des Browne: holding answer 20 December 2004
	As at the end of November 2004, the proportion of the UK population that holds a valid passport is between 72 per cent. and 81 per cent. of the resident population.

Police Administrative Staff

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which police forces administrative staff working for police forces receive the same pay entitlement with regard to working on public holidays as police officers.

Hazel Blears: Neither the Home Office nor the Employers Organisation routinely collects this information. Pay and conditions of service for police staff are set by local police authorities.

Press Officers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers are employed in the Department.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Department currently employs 39 Press Officers. (Press Officers within the Home Office are employed at the Information Officer (IO) and Senior Information Officer (SIO) grades.)

Prison and Probation Services

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list properties and assets that are (a) owned and (b) used by (i) HM Prison Service and (ii) the probation service; and what value is attributed to each asset.

Paul Goggins: Details of prison and probation service properties and assets and their valuations could only be provided at disproportionate costs. The prison estate is valued in excess of £5 billion on a depreciated replacement cost basis and the probation service has property listing values in excess of £132 million.

Prison and Probation Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all appraisals into the options for achieving better quality services at optimal cost for the Prison Service since 1997 have fully complied with Government guidance on Better Quality Services.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service has undertaken four Better Quality Services (BQS) Reviews. These reviewed the following activities:
	Construction Unit;
	Escort Contracts;
	Works Departments (prison maintenance units); and
	Security Group.
	The BQS policy required the following options to be considered as part of each review:
	Abolish;
	Restructure internally;
	Strategically contract out;
	Market test; and
	Privatise.
	In all cases, the reviews complied with the guidance on Better Quality Services.

Prison and Probation Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what appraisals have been conducted into the options for achieving better quality services at optimal cost for the Prison Service since 1997; when they were commissioned; who carried them out; when they were completed; if he will publish them; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service has undertaken four Better Quality Services (BQS) Reviews. These reviewed the following activities:
	Construction Unit
	Prisoner Escort Contracts
	Works Departments (prison maintenance units)
	Security Group
	The Construction Unit BQS Review was commissioned in April 2002 and completed January 2003. External consultants were engaged to undertake this review.
	The Prisoner Escort Contract BQS Review was commissioned in September 1999 and completed May 2002. External consultants were engaged to undertake this review.
	The Works Departments BQS Review was commissioned in early 1999 and the review findings were approved in June 2000. The review was carried out by both Prison Service staff and external consultants.
	The Security Group BQS Review was commissioned in February 2000 and completed June 2000. The review was carried out by both Prison Service staff resource and external consultants.
	It is not the intention to publish the reviews, as they were not developed with an external audience in mind and require prior knowledge of both the function concerned and the wider Prison Service. However, the working papers will be available on request.
	The formal BQS approach ceased to be mandatory in 2002 following a Cabinet Office Review. However, the Prison Service remains committed to the principles outlined in the BQS approach is taking forward a comprehensive programme of value for money initiatives.

Prison and Probation Services

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Prison Service has spent defending equal pay employment tribunal cases in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: On 9 September 2004 the Prison Service had spent £1,034,741 since 1997 on equal pay tribunal cases. In view of the unresolved and continuing nature of most of these cases, it is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown for each year without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prisoner Escape (Stafford)

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the escape of three prisoners from Stafford Prison on 8 December.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 14 December 2004
	Three prisoners escaped from Stafford prison at approximately 16:00 hrs on 8 December 2004. The prisoners had gained access to a workshop roof from where they were able to escape. The prisoners were spotted in the vicinity of the prison by an off duty prison officer. A full roll check confirmed their absence and the incident was immediately reported to the police.
	One of the prisoners was recaptured by police on 9 December and a second on 10 December. One remains unlawfully at large. The two prisoners who have been recaptured are each serving seven years for robbery.
	The third is serving three years and six months for burglary. All are Category C prisoners. An internal investigation into the incident is currently under way.

Prisoners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners there are, broken down by category of offence.

Paul Goggins: The information requested, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system on 31 October 2004, is provided in the table.
	
		Population in prison establishments, by offence group and custody type, England and Wales, 31 October 2004
		
			  Remand Immediate custodial sentence Fine defaulters Civil prisoners Total population 
		
		
			 Total 12,229 61,321 72 1,091 74,713 
			   
			 Violence against the person 2,672 14,424 — — — 
			 Sexual offences 650 5,931 — — — 
			 Robbery 1,045 8,435 — — — 
			 Burglary 1,492 8,498 — — — 
			 Theft and Handling 1,327 4,337 — — — 
			 Fraud and Forgery 325 1,169 — — — 
			 Drugs offence 1,597 10,443 — — — 
			 Motoring offences 335 2,414 — — — 
			 Other offences 1,703 4,928 — — — 
			 Offence not recorded 1,084 742 — — —

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average distance in miles between (a) female and (b) male prison location and the registered home address of the inmate was in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: A prisoner's home area is defined as their home address on their reception into prison. For prisoners with no address, the address of the relevant committal court is used as the home address.
	As at September 2004 (the latest period for which figures are available), the average distance female prisoners were held from their home or committal court address was 62 miles. Male prisoners were held an average of 51 miles from their home or committal court address.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of babies born in prison remained with their mothers up to the age of nine months in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: Information in the form requested is not available centrally. All pregnant prisoners who give birth to a baby while serving a prison sentence do so in a local hospital. Whether the mother then keeps the child with her in prison is partly a matter for her choice and partly a matter for social services. The Prison Service provides places on mother and baby units and those mothers who wish to keep their child with them and are considered suitable may do so up to about the age of 18 months depending on what is in the best interests of the child. At 13 December 2004 there were 51 mothers in those units and their children's ages ranged from a few weeks to 16 months.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women and (b) men were being held in prison on 12 March; how many prisoners were released on early release on 12 March; how many prisoners were eligible for early release on 12 March; and how many prisoners were released on 12 March.

Paul Goggins: On 12 March 2004 there were 4,569 females and 70,451 males being held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. There were an estimated 175 prisoners with a sentence length of three months to less than four years whose Home Detention Curfew (HDC) eligibility date was 12 March 2004. On that date, 77 prisoners were actually released on HDC.
	Some prisoners with a sentence length of three months to less than four years do not quality for HDC because of the nature of their current or previous offences.
	In addition, the figure of 175 will exclude a small number of prisoners in the population who were on remand at the time of the count, but were subsequently sentenced to a custodial sentence suitable for HOC and whose HOC eligibility date falls on 12 March 2004. This occurs when they have spent a significant period on remand.
	A further 623 prisoners were discharged by other means on 12 March 2004, not including discharges following recall after release on licence, fine defaulters and non-criminals.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers and staff were waiting on 6 December for results from a test for tuberculosis.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 December 2004
	This information is not held centrally and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff are waiting for the results of a test for hepatitis C following an incident in prison in which they were injured as at 7 December;
	(2)  how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff have (i) been tested for hepatitis C and (ii) tested positive for hepatitis C following an incident in which they were injured in each year since January 1997 and from 1 January to 1 December 2004.

Paul Goggins: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been made available to prison governors for the implementation of the Prisons Alcohol Strategy.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service has now launched a comprehensive Alcohol Strategy for prisoners. The Strategy follows closely the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy and complements both our existing Drug Strategy and the wider programme of resettlement activity. The Strategy will be implemented within existing funding settlements.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish a multi-disciplinary project team to review fire safety risks in prison cells.

Paul Goggins: The Building Research Establishment Fire Section was commissioned as an independent specialist body in September 2004 to survey and review fire safety issues across the prison estate, concentrating primarily on fire safety risks in prison cells.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the Prison Service takes of the likelihood of (a) vandalism and (b) attempted suicides when making decisions on the installation of sprinklers in prisons and detention centres.

Paul Goggins: Any decisions on the installation of sprinklers for cellular accommodation in prisons would take into account safety factors such as the risk of self-harm and the potential for vandalism as well as overall cost effectiveness. If sprinklers were introduced design features would need to minimise the risk of sprinkler heads being used as ligature points. The installation of sprinklers in immigration removal centres will be considered by the Immigration and Nationality Department on a case-by-case basis.

Probation Service

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors determined (a) the level of pay rise included in the Probation Service's budget for 2004–05 and (b) the level of pay rises awarded to Probation Service staff in 2004–05.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 9 December 2004
	The information is as follows:
	(a) A provisional figure of 3.5 per cent. was allocated in the 2004–05 Probation Area budgets. This was in the expectation that pay modernisation proposals, which would have included an annual pay award, would be successfully negotiated and implemented with an effective date of 1 April 2004. It was considered that 3.5 per cent. would be likely to fall within Her Majesty's Treasury guidelines, as it contained both an annual pay award and the introduction of a new, modernised pay system.
	(b) A final offer of a 2.7 per cent. annual pay award has been made with effect from 1 April 2004. The determining factors were the cost threshold under Her Majesty's Treasury guidelines, affordability and reasonableness. This offer is in addition to the provision for annual incremental progression paid to staff from 1 April 2004. This offer is the subject of continuing negotiations with Probation Service Trade Unions.

Probation Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to monitor the performance of the probation service against outcomes.

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will be judged on its success in delivering the target of a five per cent reduction in re-offending by 2007–08, leading to a 10 per cent. reduction by the end of the decade.
	Within that framework, the probation service is currently judged by a range of different measures. These include the number of offenders completing cognitive skills programmes designed to tackle offending behaviour and the number of offenders gaining basic educational qualifications, as well as the number of offenders who successfully comply with the terms of their order. We will further develop the range of measures as part of the introduction of the offender-focused management being developed by NOMS.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been carried out of the 2001 national probation service reforms.

Paul Goggins: The changes introduced by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2000 and implemented from April 2001 were overseen by the Director General of the National Probation Service (NPS) based within the Home Office.
	The overall three year change programme was set out in a strategic document, "A New Choreography". The Office of Government Commerce independently reviewed the initial programme in October 2001. They commended the restructure and noted early performance improvements.
	Since 2001, service-wide performance improvements have continued and these are monitored in regular quarterly NPS performance reports, which have been made publicly available since March 2003.
	Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation—who reports independently to Ministers on the work and performance of the NPS—has covered a number of issues relevant to the restructuring, such as governance, probation officer training, race equality and IT in recent reports. The Inspectorate's Effective Supervision Inspection programme examines the quality and effectiveness of work by probation areas in the NPS. All Inspectorate reports are published.

Refugees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of refugees residing in each parliamentary constituency.

Des Browne: The information is not available in the form requested. Data on how many persons granted indefinite leave to remain that live in each parliamentary constituency is not available and could be produced only at a disproportionate cost.

Rights of Residency

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of European Court of Justice case C-200/02, reference OJ C300 volume 47, of 4 December on rights of residency in the UK for non-UK citizens in equivalent circumstances to those who are the subject of that case; and how many individuals with UK-based families are thereby affected.

Des Browne: The ECJ ruled in case C200/02 on 19 October 2004 that an EEA national child would have a right to reside in the UK with his or her non-EEA national parent provided that the parent has sufficient income to ensure that the child held appropriate sickness insurance and would not become a burden on public funds.
	The court did not accept that the parent's right to reside was unconditional or that those family members residing with the child would have a right to work or access public funds.
	The number of people obtaining residency rights on the basis of this ruling is unlikely to be significant. An amendment to the immigration rules enabling those benefiting from the ruling to obtain leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom was laid on 20 December and came into force on 1 January 2005. Those obtaining leave on this basis will have no right to take up employment or access public funds.

Sentencing

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to inform the general public about community based sentences.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office and Probation Areas are working to improve public understanding and knowledge of community sentences and the benefits they can bring to society in terms both of reducing re-offending and payback to the community. A communications campaign through print and broadcast media aims to demonstrate that community sentences can be tough and demanding and involve offenders putting something back into the community. A national visibility scheme for community work is also in place.
	The reparation marque 'Making Amends' identifies locations that have benefited from community work. In February/March, we will undertake a 'Clean Up' campaign whereby local people will be given the opportunity to have a direct say in what compulsory unpaid work is carried out by offenders as part of their community punishment. This initiative aims to improve public confidence in community penalties and make compulsory unpaid work by offenders more visible.
	We will also aim to generate media coverage of the new community sentences created in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, including Custody Minus and the new generic community sentence as they come on stream.
	In addition, Probation Areas are active members of Local Criminal Justice Boards and, as such, are working to raise confidence in all aspects of criminal justice, specifically with victims and minority ethnic communities.

Sentencing

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of custodial sentences given to females was in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The average custodial sentence length imposed on females sentenced for all offences at all courts in England and Wales since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Average sentence length in months (excluding life sentences) 
		
		
			 1997 9.8 
			 1998 9.0 
			 1999 9.0 
			 2000 9.1 
			 2001 10.4 
			 2002 10.3 
			 2003 10.2

Sentencing

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of custodial sentences given to (a) females and (b) males convicted of theft was in the last period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The average custodial sentence length imposed on females sentenced for offences of theft and handling stolen goods in England and Wales in 2003 was 3.3 months, and for males, 4.3 months.

Sentencing

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost per annum of supervising an individual on a curfew order with an electronic monitoring condition in England and Wales was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 10 January 2005
	In the financial year 2003–04, the average cost per annum of supervising an individual on a curfew order with an electronic monitoring requirement was £7,005 for those aged 16 and over and £8,886 for those aged 10 to 15.

Sex Offenders

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sex offenders and (b) other offenders have absconded from (i) HMP Leyhill and (ii) HMP North Sea Camp since 1999.

Paul Goggins: The information is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Total absconds Sex offenders 
		
		
			 HMP Leyhill   
			 1999 11 1 
			 2000 19 2 
			 2001 20 0 
			 2002 39 3 
			 2003 102 2 
			 2004 (to date) 93 1 
			
			 HMP North Sea Camp   
			 1999 31 1 
			 2000 20 0 
			 2001 44 0 
			 2002 33 2 
			 2003 72 0 
			 2004 (to date) 39 0

Special Advisers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special advisers there are in the Department, broken down by civil service pay grade.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1640W by my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband),

Terrorism Legislation (Review)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what review process applies to the use of anti-terrorism legislation; and if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of that legislation.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 16 December 2004
	The powers in both the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCS) are subject to review processes. Section 126 of the Terrorism Act 2000 requires the Secretary of State to lay a report before Parliament on the working of the Terrorism Act at least once every 12 months. This report is produced by the independent reviewer, currently Lord Carlile, and considers whether the Act has been used fairly and properly during the reporting period, taking into account the need to ensure that there are effective powers to deal with terrorism and adequate safeguards for the individual.
	Lord Carlile additionally produces separate reports on the Northern Ireland specific powers within the Terrorism Act and the part 4 detention provisions of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act, in order to inform the annual renewal debates for those parts of the legislation.
	In his most recent review of the Terrorism Act, published in April 2004, Lord Carlile concluded that overall the powers in the Act are necessary, that the provisions are functioning satisfactorily and that it continues to be fit for purpose. His latest report on part 7 of TACT, published in January 2004, recommended that the powers be renewed.
	In his report on the operation of part 4 of the ATCS Act, published in February 2004, Lord Carlile concluded that the Secretary of State had certified persons as international terrorists only in appropriate cases and that he had exercised independent judgment in each case. He recommended that continuing scrutiny be given to possible alternatives to detention.
	Additionally, the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act provided for a secondary review, of the Act as a whole, under section 122, to be conducted by a committee of Privy Councillors. This committee, chaired by Lord Newton, reported in December 2003.
	On 25 February 2004 the Home Secretary published a response to the recommendations made within the Privy Counsellor Review in a discussion paper entitled "Counter Terrorism Powers: Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society". Issues concerning the effectiveness of the ATCS Act raised by Lord Newton's committee were also debated in both the House of Commons, on the day of the above publication and the House of Lords on 4 March 2004.
	As part of the discussion paper the Government launched a consultation process inviting contributions on the way forward on counter-terrorism measures over the longer term. The responses to that consultation exercise, together with the implications of the recent House of Lords judgment on the current ATCS Act part 4 powers, are currently under consideration and the Government have announced that they intend to bring forward their proposals early next year.

Trafficking in People

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the changes to UK law which would be required in order for the Government to be able to ratify the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2000).

Des Browne: The United Kingdom was involved in the drafting process of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons and was one of the first countries to sign the protocol. We are committed to its ratification.
	The principal legislative requirement of the protocol is the criminalisation of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour and the removal of organs. We have introduced legislation to criminalise these forms of trafficking. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes offences covering trafficking into, within and out of the United Kingdom, for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Offences covering trafficking for other forms of exploitation, including trafficking for the purposes of forced labour and removal of organs, are included in the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004.
	We consider that, taken together with existing United Kingdom law, these offences mean that we fully comply with our legislative obligations under the protocol. However, ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, is a pre-requisite to ratification of the protocol. We have identified a need for primary legislation to comply with the requirements of the Convention on the forfeiture of the instrumentalities of crime. Provision for this is included in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

Trafficking in People

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to expand the capacity of the POPPY Project to assist women who have been trafficked into prostitution.

Des Browne: The Home Office-funded POPPY Scheme is being independently evaluated. Funding for the scheme has been agreed until March 2005 pending the outcome of the evaluation. Decisions about future Home Office funding, capacity issues and entry criteria for the scheme will be taken in light of lessons learned since the pilot was established in March 2003 and evidence from the final evaluation report, which we expect to receive very shortly.

Trafficking in People

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cases have been prosecuted under the trafficking offence established in the Sexual Offences Act 2003;
	(2)  how many cases have been prosecuted under the trafficking for exploitation offence established in section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004.

Des Browne: We have introduced legislation to criminalise trafficking comprehensively. Sections 57 to 59 of the Sexual Offences Act criminalise trafficking for sexual exploitation. These offences came into force on 1 May 2004. Trafficking for other forms of exploitation, including for forced labour and organ removal, are criminalised by section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Bill which came into force on 1 December 2004.
	Data on numbers of prosecutions under these sections will be collected in the usual way and published in Home Office criminal statistics. Given that the offences came into effect recently, there is not any information yet held centrally about number of prosecutions.

Trafficking in People

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued on cases where trafficked children are appealing for exceptional leave to remain and there is evidence to suggest that they may be re-trafficked if returned to their country of origin.

Des Browne: No specific guidance has been issued on cases where trafficked children are requesting permission to remain in the UK. The granting or refusal of leave to enter is governed by the immigration rules HC 395.
	However, guidance is issued to caseworkers on the criteria for assessing asylum claims, humanitarian protection and discretionary leave. Any assessment of asylum or human rights claim will include consideration of the future risk an applicant will face if returned to their country of origin.
	We would not enforce the removal of a child on his own unless we were satisfied that the child would be met on arrival in his country and that care arrangements were in place thereafter.
	If there was evidence that care arrangements were seriously below the standard normally provided in the country concerned or that they were so inadequate that the child would face a serious risk of harm if returned, consideration would be given to abandoning enforcement action.
	Where there was evidence that a child had been trafficked to the United Kingdom, very careful consideration would be given to the child's circumstances in its country of origin before enforcement action was pursued. Where it was considered that removal would place the child at risk of further harm or abuse, such action would be abandoned.

Women Offenders

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to evaluate programmes developed specifically for women offenders.

Paul Goggins: The Department published 'Focus on female offenders: the Real Women Programme—Probation Service pilot in March 2004, which reported on the pilot programme for women who commit acquisitive crime. A programme for violent Women (CARE) is at the development stage as part of the joint prison and probation strategy for interventions for women. There are no plans for further female specific programmes or evaluation but information on how National Offender Management Service (NOMS) interventions affect female offenders will be collected as part of the RDS NOMS research programme where possible and appropriate. This is supported by the Women's Offending Reduction Programme, also published in March 2004.

Young Offenders

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people aged under 18 years were received into prison (a) under sentence and (b) on remand in (i) 2003, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2001.

Paul Goggins: The number of receptions of young people aged under 18 years into prison establishments, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system, is provided in the table.
	Young people aged under 18 are also held outside of prison establishments in Secure Training Centres and Local Authority Secure Children's Homes.
	
		Receptions into prison establishments of persons aged under 18, by year of reception and custody type(5507190032): England and Wales
		
			  Remand Immediate custodial sentence 
		
		
			 2001 4,978 5,903 
			 2002 5,427 5,738 
			 2003 5,138 4,918 
		
	
	(5507190032) Total receptions cannot be calculated by adding together receptions in each category, because there is double counting.

Young Offenders

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many black and minority ethnic young men aged 18 to 21 years were received into prison in 2002 (a) under sentence and (b) on remand.

Paul Goggins: The requested information, as recorded on the Prison Service Central IT system, is provided in the table.
	
		Receptions(5507190033) into prison establishments of males aged 18 to 21 years, by custody type, age at reception and ethnic group: England and Wales, 2002
		
			  Age 
			  18 19 20 21 
		
		
			 Remand: 
			 White 3,479 3,745 3,731 3,654 
			 Black 611 631 639 594 
			 South Asian 126 133 146 201 
			 Chinese and other 224 226 234 233 
			 Unrecorded 1 7 3 6 
			  
			 Immediate custodial sentence:  
			 White 3,180 4,035 3,958 3,877 
			 Black 414 467 471 474 
			 South Asian 131 139 155 224 
			 Chinese and other 148 199 199 203 
			 Unrecorded 2 7 7 4 
		
	
	(5507190033) Total receptions cannot be calculated by adding together receptions in each category, because there is double counting.

Youth Justice

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) organisations, (b) associations, (c) agencies and (d) representative bodies he has consulted on youth justice issues in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The following list shows the organisations we have consulted on youth justice issues in the last 12 months—in various ways including through a conference, various meetings and the issue of consultation papers. In addition, between October and December 2003 we consulted through young people's websites on our policy paper Youth Justice—The Next Steps, attracting 7,860 responses
	Afasic (formerly the Association For All Speech Impaired Children)
	Association of Black Police Officers
	Association of Chief Education Officers
	Association of Chief Officers of Probation
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	Association of Directors of Social Services
	Association of LEA Advisory Officers for Multicultural Education
	Association of London Government
	Association of Magisterial Officers
	Association of Police Authorities
	Association of YOT Managers
	Association of Youth Offending Team Services
	Attendance Centres
	Audit Commission
	Bar Council
	Barnardos
	Black Police Association
	Borough of Hartlepool
	Borough of Rotherham
	British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
	British Association of Social Workers
	British Youth Council
	Care
	Carnegie Young People's Initiative
	Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Kings College
	Centre for research into Parenting and Children, Oxford University
	Centre for Research on the Child and Family, Uni of East Anglia
	Chief Constables
	Chief Probation Officers
	Child Support Agency
	Children And Family Court Advisory Support Service
	Children Law UK
	Children's Fund Evaluators
	Children's Fund Managers
	Children's Funds
	Children's Charities Coalition
	Children's Legal Centre
	Children's Rights Alliance (England)
	Children's Society
	Combined Youth Justice Committee (Hampshire and Isle of Wight)
	Commission for Racial Equality
	Commission for Social Care Inspection
	Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association
	Connexions
	Contact a Family
	Coram Family
	Council—South Gloucestershire
	Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary sector Organisations
	Council of HM Circuit Judges
	Council of HM Crown Court Judges
	Courts Service
	Crime Concern
	Criminal Records Bureau
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Department for Education and Skills
	Department of Constitutional Affairs
	Drug Action Teams
	Family Rights Group
	Family Service Units
	Family Welfare Association
	Fathers Direct
	General Social Care Council
	Grandparents Plus
	Haringey Council
	Hartley-Brewer Parenting Projects
	HM Prison Service (for juveniles)
	HM Treasury
	HMI Constabulary
	HMI Probation
	Home Office Race Equality Advisory Panel
	Homestart
	Howard League for Penal Reform
	Joseph Rowntree Foundation
	Judicial Studies Board
	Justice
	Justice's Chief Executive
	Justice's Clerks Society
	Kids Club Network
	Kidsactive
	Kidscape
	Law Society
	Legal Services Commission
	Liberty
	Local Government Association
	Local Government Authority
	Local Network Funds
	Magistrates Association (Youth Courts Committee)
	Mediation UK
	Metropolitan Police
	Michael Sieff Foundation
	NACRO
	National Association for Youth Justice
	National Association of Head Teachers
	National Autistic Society
	National Bursars Association
	National Children's Bureau
	National Council for One Parent Families
	National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
	National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations
	National Family & Parenting Institute
	National Neighbourhood Watch Association
	National Youth Agency
	Natural Justice
	NCH (National Children's Homes)
	Neighbourhood Watch
	Newcastle Centre for Family Studies
	NHS Confederation
	Northern Ireland Office
	NSPCC
	ODPM
	Office for Standards in Education
	Ofsted
	On Track Managers
	One Parent Family
	Parenting Education and Support Forum
	Parentline Plus
	Police Authorities
	Police Federation of England and Wales
	Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales
	Policy Research Bureau
	Positive Parenting
	Premier Monitoring Services
	President of Family Division of High Court
	Prison Reform Trust
	Race on the Agenda (ROTA)
	Rathbone
	Rebound/Group 4
	Refugee Council
	Relate
	Riverside Early Years Training Centre
	Rizer
	Runnymede Trust
	Ryogens
	Save the Children
	Scottish Executive
	Secure Training Centres
	Service Children's Education Authority
	Severnminster Youth Court
	Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa
	Shape
	Society of Local Authority Chief Executives
	Suffolk Youth Court
	Supporting Others through Voluntary Action
	Sure Start Programme Board
	The Children's Society
	The Fostering Network (formerly the National Foster Care Association)
	TOPSS (Strategic Workforce Development Body for Social Care) Trust for the Study of Adolescence
	Turning Point
	UK Centre for Evidence Based Policy and Practice, Queen Mary College
	UK Youth Parliament
	Universities and Colleges Employers Association
	VCC (Voice for Children in Care)
	Victim Support
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Women's National Commission
	YMCA
	Youth Justice Board
	Youth Offending Teams

HEALTH

Antidepressants

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) smoking cessation and (b) assistance for people wishing to withdraw from antidepressant medication in each of the past five financial years.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service stop smoking services, formerly smoking cessation services, were launched in the health action zones (HAZs) in 1999–2000, with services rolled out across the NHS in 2000–01.
	The table shows financial allocations to the NHS stop smoking services from 1999–2000 to date.
	
		
			  Allocations (£ million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (5507190034)10 
			 2000–01 20 
			 2001–02 23 
			 2002–03 23 
			 2003–04 41 
			 2004–05 46 
		
	
	(5507190034) HAZ only
	Assistance for people wishing to withdraw from antidepressant medication is available from their clinicians and any support is provided as part of routine mainstream services.
	The Department is funding a project run by MIND called Coping With Coming Off (Information and Support for Drug Withdrawal). The project will systematically explore people's experiences of coming off or trying to come off psychiatric drugs with the aim of improving the understanding of what makes withdrawal more or less likely to be successful.
	Amounts of funding are shown in the table.
	
		MIND—Section 64 Funding
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 2003–04 50,000 
			 2004–05 50,000

Asthma

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated to establish the number of sufferers from asthma and allied disorders.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 20 December 2004
	None. The independent asthma charity, Asthma UK has set up a national asthma audit on its website. This is regularly updated. Further details are available at http://www.asthma.ora.uk/.
	Asthma is the commonest chronic disease in the United Kingdom. Accurate data for numbers affected are difficult to obtain. From the Office of National Statistics general practice database 1996, it was estimated that 6.7 per cent., of men and 6.9 per cent., of women in England and Wales were treated for asthma, about 3.5 million people.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 10 January 2005
	This information is not collected centrally. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal, published in October 2000, of the use of methylphenidate in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) estimated the prevalence of all types of ADHD at around five per cent, of school-aged children—approximately 345,000 six to sixteen year olds in England.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for (a) Ritalin and (b) methylphenidate were written in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 January 2004
	The table shows the total number of prescription items (in thousands) of the chemical entity methylphenidate hydrochloride dispensed in the community in England in 2002–03 and 2003–04. The data covers the chemical entity methylphenidate hydrochloride, rather than just Ritalin. Ritalin is one brand of the drug methylphenidate.
	
		Number of prescription items (in thousands) of the chemical entity methylphenidate hydrochloride that were dispensed in the community in England in 2002–03 and 2003–04, by product
		
			  Number pf prescription items (thousands)  Percentage of total items 
			 Product 2002–03 2003–04 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Ritalin 150.8 119.6 56 36 
			 Concerta 71.0 151.9 26 46 
			 Equasym 48.9 57.0 18 17 
			 Others 0.5 0.7 0 0 
			 Total for chemical entity methylphenidate hydrochloride 271.3 329.3 100 (5507190035)100 
		
	
	(5507190035) Due to rounding, figures may not add up to 100

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the typical treatment choice is for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 10 January 2004
	The assessment and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is usually undertaken by child psychiatrists, often with the help and contribution of other members of multidisciplinary child mental health services. However, it is becoming increasingly common for paediatricians to diagnose and manage ADHD. Even with the children diagnosed as having hyperkinetic disorder(the more severe and specific end of the spectrum(a treatment programme should not rely on medication alone. It is recommended that interventions that focus on the behaviour of the child, family interactions, classroom problems and learning difficulties should be offered. A comprehensive assessment involving more than one professional perspective will highlight the various problems that need to be addressed.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has given advice on the use methylphenidate (more commonly known as Ritalin) in the treatment of ADHD. NICE recommended that methylphenidate should only be used as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for children with a diagnosis of severe ADHD.

Autism

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children with autism there are, broken down by region; and what proportion of the population this represents in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: Details of the number of children with autism are not available. The Department commissioned the Medical Research Council (MRC) to undertake a comprehensive review of autism research. This was published in December 2001 and provides an authoritative overview of the current state of knowledge on the prevalence, incidence and causes of autism. It is available on the MRC's website at http://www.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-autism-report.pdf.
	The report says that according to recent reviews, "there appears fairly good agreement that autism spectrum disorders affect approximately 60, and more narrowly defined autism 10–30, per 10,000 children under eight".

Cannabis Spray

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects cannabis spray to treat pain to receive a licence for use.

Rosie Winterton: As for any new medicinal product, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will only grant a marketing authorisation for a cannabis spray to treat pain when supporting data have been submitted that demonstrate that the quality, safety and efficacy of the product are satisfactory for the intended use.

Care Homes

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Health Protection Agency to combat MRSA in care homes.

Stephen Ladyman: The principal role of the Health Protection Agency in regard to care homes is to provide advice about preventing the spread of infection, for example in the containment of an outbreak of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Care Homes

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government have carried out into (a) the prevalence of MRSA in care homes and (b) the effectiveness of infection control practices used in care homes.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has not commissioned research on the prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in care homes. However, the public health medicine and environment group is currently revising and updating the guidance set out in "Guidelines on the Control of Infection in Residential and Nursing Homes".

Care Homes

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effect on the availability of potential staff for care homes of the length of the vetting and clearance process.

Stephen Ladyman: We listened to service providers about their problems in recruiting staff and the effect the regulation on Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosures were having on their ability to provide services to vulnerable adults. Easements to the CRB regulations in July 2004 allow care home workers to start work before a completed CRB disclosure has been received, provided all other pre-employment checks have been carried out and a satisfactory Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) first check has been received.
	"PoVAFirst" is an optional service provided by the CRB. It allows those organisations who are eligible to access the PoVA list, and who have requested checks of the list on their CRB disclosure application form, to receive results of the PoVA check in advance of the full disclosure being issued. It helps those providers of care to keep their staffing levels up to the necessary statutory requirements.
	The length and complexity of the vetting process have to be balanced against the need to minimise the risk of abusers working undetected in care homes.

Care Homes

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will abbreviate the clearance process for care home staff when they move employment from a care home for which they have been cleared to another similar home.

Stephen Ladyman: All care workers of registered providers of care homes, domiciliary care agencies and adult placement schemes must have a Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) check before they start work. The legislation as it stands only permits a PoVA checks to be carried out as part of a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure.
	However, in response to provider concerns, in July 2004 we introduced easements to the regulations which allow staff to start work provided all other pre-employment checks had been satisfactorily completed and a the applicant had been checked against the PoVA list.
	To abbreviate the clearance process still further would increase the risk of abuse of vulnerable adults.

Care Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that a person approved by one office of the Care Standards Commission is treated as being approved by all other offices of the Care Standards Commission.

Stephen Ladyman: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that they want to move towards a more streamlined registration process, which removes unnecessary duplication where this does not undermine the functions of registration.
	In its "Inspecting for Better Lives" consultation document the CSCI lay out how it will make assessments of whether someone is fit to provide care services transferable between offices of the Commission.

Care Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what auditing processes are in place to ensure uniformity of decision making between different offices of the Care Standards Commission with regard to approval of individuals under the provisions of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that they recognise the need to improve consistency. CSCI has employed a head of quality whose role is to monitor and improve consistency between different offices and who is developing a quality framework for the Commission.

Civil Service Property

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of civil service property within his Department are unaccounted for, broken down by type.

Rosie Winterton: In 2003–04, the last year for which figures are available, the Department had losses of 37 pieces of equipment worth £43,602. These were all information technology and telecoms items.

Dentists

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department is taking to create incentives for dental professionals to work in the NHS sector.

Rosie Winterton: Dentists who work in the national health service are eligible for membership of the NHS superannuation scheme, maternity, paternity and adoption leave payments, long-term sickness payments, commitment payments and support with continuing professional development and clinical audit. We are undertaking the most far reaching reforms of NHS dentistry since 1948, which, through the delegation of the commissioning of dental services to primary care trusts (PCTS), are intended to make working in the NHS more attractive to dentists. The reforms are supported by additional recurring funding of £250 million in 2005–06—an increase of 19.3 per cent. compared to spending in 2003–04. We have also allocated £59 million in the current financial year to enable hard-pressed PCTs to improve access to NHS dentistry by, for example, funding improvements to practice premises in return for a commitment to register more NHS patients.

Dentists

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish information for (a) dentists and (b) patients on how the new system of dental contracts will work including how much patients will have to pay.

Rosie Winterton: The new contractual arrangements involve the delegation of the commissioning of national health service dental services to primary care trusts with replacement of the item-for-service system of remuneration for dentists with one based on patients' overall oral health care needs. Because charges to patients relate to item for service, a new method is needed to determine the amounts charged. We have received a report from the NHS dentistry patient charges working group, chaired by Harry Cayton, which we are considering. We are publishing a series of guidance notes on the new arrangements over the period leading up to their implementation.

Dentists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) principal and (b) assistant dentists there were in (i) England, (ii) each strategic health authority and (iii) each primary care trust who were registering NHS patients in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of principal and assistant dentists in the general dental service who were recorded as having registered patients is shown in the table for England at September in each of the years 1997 to 2004. Some other assistant dentists who treat registered patients will be excluded because the patients are recorded against the principal dentist.
	
		Number of dentists in the general dental service (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) with registered patients, England, 1997–2004
		
			 September each year GDS principals GDS assistants PDS dentists Total 
		
		
			 1997 16,622 1,141 — 17,763 
			 1998 16,770 1,300 — 18,070 
			 1999 16,966 1,457 102 18,525 
			 2000 17,212 1,650 163 19,025 
			 2001 17,271 1,724 351 19,346 
			 2002 17,127 1,809 658 19,594 
			 2003 17,372 1,735 794 19,901 
			 2004 16,417 1,555 2,051 20,023 
		
	
	Separate information is shown for personal dental service dentists who had registered patients; this excludes dentists who treat patients under arrangements where there are no registrations, for example, in dental access centres. Information by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) has been placed in the Library.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to review the data requirements it receives through the Dental Practice Board, as recommended in the National Audit Office report, Reforming NHS Dentistry: Ensuring Effective Management of Risks.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has reviewed the information requirements for the new contractual arrangements for primary care dentistry. The information requirements will be finalised and published once the discussions about the new contractual arrangements have been completed, and details of the new patient charge arrangements have been confirmed.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) the General Dental Council have taken to meet the findings in the 2003 Office of Fair Trading report on private dentistry regarding greater clarity of services and charges for patients.

Rosie Winterton: We are working with the General Dental Council (GDC) to implement the report's recommendations. The GDC has published 'ethical' guidance which requires that dentists give full information on proposed treatment and costs to patients, whether national health service or private. The guidance explicitly states that "non-compliance with these standards will put a dentist's registration at risk". During 2005, we plan to lay an Order to amend the Dentists Act 1984, which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will give the GDC powers to establish a private complaints system. GDC is already making preparatory arrangements for the investigation and resolution of complaints about private dentistry, including complaints about charges.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the General Dental Service on (a) examinations, (b) scaling and (c) polishing in the last period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: In 2003–04, fees paid to General Dental Service dentists for adult examinations were about £151 million. Fees for scaling and polishing, including chronic periodontal work, were about £174 million. For children, routine examinations and scaling are included in the patient capitation payments and so are not separately identifiable.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce more flexibility with routine recall periods for NHS dental patients, as recommended in the National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care October 2004 Report.

Rosie Winterton: Under the present item for service remuneration system a dentist may claim a fee for examining a patient at a minimum interval of six months. With the introduction of the new contractual arrangements, founded upon the delegation of the commissioning of national health service dentistry to primary care trusts, dentists will have wider discretion over recall intervals based on their clinical judgement. However, regulations of which we will be laying before Parliament will require NHS dentists to provide services in accordance with guidance issued by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, who were commissioned by the National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care October 2004 to undertake the dental study.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many overseas dentists recruited under the Returning to Practice scheme are (a) working for the NHS and (b) working privately;
	(2)  how many overseas dentists have been recruited under the Returning to Practice scheme to date; and which countries they have come from.

Rosie Winterton: The Returning to Practice scheme is aimed at United Kingdom dentists from the domestic market who, usually, have taken a career break and want to return to national health service work. The scheme is not aimed at overseas dentists.

Dentists

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines his Department has put in place for the recruitment of dentists from overseas.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's revised code of practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals, published on 8 December 2004, promotes high standards of practice in the international recruitment and employment of all healthcare professionals, including dentists.

Departmental Costs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to (a) his Department and (b) the NHS of (i) theft and (ii) fraud in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Estimates for the cost of theft and total theft in the national health service in England are not available. Estimated figures on fraud levels across the whole NHS in England are not available. However, the NHS counter fraud service (NHS CFS) has an ongoing programme of specialist risk measurement exercises, which is designed to reveal levels of losses and, through repeated exercises, achieve reductions. These exercises concentrated on patient fraud. The tables show the results and are accurate to within plus or minus one per cent. of the losses measured in each of the patient exercises.
	
		£ million
		
			 Year data selected Fraud losses 
		
		
			 Pharmaceutical patient fraud  
			 1998–99 117.00 
			 1999–2000 69.00 
			 2002–03 47.00 
			   
			 Dental patient fraud  
			 1999–2000 40.30 
			 2000–01 30.00 
			   
			 Optical patient fraud  
			 1999–2000 13.25 
			 2001–02 10.17 
		
	
	Total patient fraud losses have reduced from approximately £170 million to £87 million per year, a reduction of 49 per cent., since the creation of the NHS CFS in 1998.
	For the Department, recorded losses through fraud and theft are shown in the following tables.
	
		£000
		
			  (5507190036)Fraud and theft losses 
		
		
			 1997–98 61.42 
			 1998–99 66.90 
		
	
	(5507190036) For these years, recorded data are for fraud and theft losses combined
	
		£000
		
			  Fraud losses 
		
		
			 1999–2000 3.06 
			 2000–01 0.00 
			 2001–02 0.15 
			 2002–03 38.31 
			 2003–04 29.08 
		
	
	
		£000
		
			  Theft losses 
		
		
			 1999–2000 45.09 
			 2000–01 56.83 
			 2001–02 34.71 
			 2002–03 35.59 
			 2003–04 (5507190037) 
		
	
	(5507190037) Not yet available
	In my response to a similar question from the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk), Official Report, 18 November 2004, column 1992W, I provided information on fraud in the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). The figures quoted for the Department for the years 1999–2003 included both theft and fraud rather than just fraud.
	The answer should have read as follows.
	Table 2 shows figures for fraud, provided by the NHS counter fraud and security management service.
	
		Table 2
		
			  Department Agencies NDPBs Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 61,415 1,461 10,458 73,334 
			 1998–99 66,897 0 6,903 73,800 
			 1999–2000 3,055 3,493 2,739 9,287 
			 2000–01 0 0 6,582 6,582 
			 2001–02 150.00 1,706 12,131 13,987 
			 2002–03 38,307 0 0 38,307 
			 2003–04 29,082 (5507190038)168,307 22,259 219,648 
		
	
	(5507190038) From MHRA this includes a stolen cheque for £162,000, which should be reimbursed by the bank. The case is in the hands of their lawyers. This was included in the 2003–04 Her Majesty's Treasury fraud return.
	I have written to the hon. Member to apologise for this error and have placed a copy of that letter in the Library.

Departmental Credit Cards

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many credit cards for official expenditure are held by his Department.

Rosie Winterton: At present, the Department holds 286 active Government procurement cards that are used for official expenditure and that increase efficiency.

Departmental Equipment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of electrical equipment were used by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has 11,719 electronic items on its Asset Register at a cost of £4,794,455. It has 38,435 other pieces of electrical equipment such as lights and the annual cost of testing these is about £67,000.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on lighting in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The cost of supplying lighting to the Department's estate cannot be determined. The Department receives a single bill for the supply of all the electricity to each of its buildings.

Departmental Policies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency of his Department's policies since 8 June 2001.

Melanie Johnson: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment at the South Tees Hospitals National Health Service Trust, while in 1997 there were a total of 1,145 waiting more than nine months in the predecessor trusts, the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust and the Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust. In June 2001, there was a total of 785 waiting more than nine months.
	At the end of September 2004, there were 1,033 patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, while in 1997 there were a total of 986 waiting more than 26 weeks in the predecessor trusts. In June 2001, there was a total of 1,150 waiting more than 26 weeks.
	At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust (PCT), a fall from 210 in June 2002.
	At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Middesbrough PCT, a fall from 324 in June 2002.
	At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Langbaurgh PCT has fallen to 111 from 387 in June 2002.
	At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Middlesbrough PCT has fallen to 277 from 836 in June 2002.
	In September 2002, at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, 92.5 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 97.3 per cent.
	Between September 2002 and June 2004, the number of consultants at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 236 to 264. The predecessor trusts had a total of 200 consultants in 1997.
	Between September 2002 and September 2003, the number of nurses at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 2,127 to 2,296. The predecessor trusts had a total of 2,077 nurses in 1997.
	Figures for October 2004 show that all patients within Langbaurgh PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
	Figures for October 2004 show that all patients within Middlesbrough PCT are able to be offered appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
	In the Middlesbrough Unitary Authority area death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 245 in 1997 to 225.2 in 2001 and to 219.8 in 2003. In the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority area death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 243.2 in 1997 to 208.2 in 2001 and 194.8 in 2003.
	In the Middlesbrough Unitary Authority area, death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen from 206.8 in 1997 to 173.4 in 2001 and 133.8 in 2003. In the Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Authority area death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen from 193.3 in 1997 to 135.9 in 2001 and 141.4 in 2003.
	Langbaurgh PCT's allocation has risen to £105.1 million for 2004–05, a cash increase of 6.9 per cent.
	Middlesbrough PCT's allocation has risen to £198.4 million for 2004–05, a cash increase of 7.2 per cent.
	An additional magnetic resonance imaging scanner was delivered to James Cook University in February 2003.

Diabetes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the policy of his Department with regard to the provision of blood test strips for people with diabetes;
	(2)  how many blood test strips have been supplied to patients in each primary care trust area during the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Information on electronic prescribing analysis and cost (ePACT) data on the number of blood glucose monitoring test strips prescribed in the year ending September 2004 has been placed in the Library.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on self-monitoring of blood glucose stresses that there are benefits from self-monitoring programmes, particularly as part of an integrated self-help package and this is central to the national service framework for diabetes.

Digital Hearing Aids

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the Department has given to NHS trusts on the priority for the provision of digital hearing aids to be given to those who are partially sighted.

Stephen Ladyman: Audiology services should develop their own priorities and guidelines for digital hearing aid assessments and fittings in consultation with primary care trusts and commissioners.

Food Labelling

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Trade and Industry on to ensuring that labelling provides adequate information on the health aspects of the practice of supermarkets adding salt to meat products.

Melanie Johnson: Responsibility for food labelling rules rests with the Food Standards Agency. Neither my Department nor the Agency have discussed this particular issue with the Department for Trade and Industry. However, discussions on the broad policy of working with the food industry to reduce salt in processed foods have taken place.

Food Supplements Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what substantive amendments were secured by the Food Standards Agency in the negotiations on the food supplements directive subsequent to the meeting between representatives of the National Association of Health Stores, Consumers for Health Choice, Holland and Barrett, and Solgar Vitamin and Herbs, and Mr. Grant Meekin of the agency in 2001.

Melanie Johnson: The meeting in 2001 was convened to explain the Food Standards Agency's position in relation to the food supplements directive, and the position reached in the course of the European Union negotiations. By the time of the meeting, the Food Standards Agency had secured an important amendment to the directive regarding the period allowed for derogation and for products to remain on the market, pending an opinion from the European Food Safety Authority on the safety of the ingredients. The agency did not undertake to seek further amendments to the directive at the meeting.

Food Supplements Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  upon what basis the Written Observations of the United Kingdom submitted to the Court of Justice of the European Communities in relation to the legality of the food supplements directive concluded in section 20 that the provisions of the directive themselves do not appear disproportionate;
	(2)  upon what basis the Written Observations of the United Kingdom submitted to the Court of Justice of the European Communities in relation to the legality of the food supplements directive concluded in section 17 that the legislation did not breach the principles of subsidiarity; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The United Kingdom Government's arguments and the basis for those arguments are set out in the Written Observations to which the hon. Member refers.

GP Premises

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the age of general practitioner premises in the NHS in England.

John Hutton: No central assessment of the age of general practitioner premises in the national health service in England has been made. The majority of GP premises are owner occupied or rented from private sector landlords.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning GP services and for ensuring that the premises from which they are provided are fit for purpose. It is for PCTs to carry out their own individual assessment of these premises where this information is required to support decisions about their local strategic service plans.

GP Surgeries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the general practitioner surgeries in the Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust areas which will receive funding allocations to improve or renew premises in 2004–05; by how much each will benefit; and for what improvements each allocation has been made.

John Hutton: The decision on investment in general practice surgeries is a local matter for each individual primary care trust, based on its overall strategic investment plans for the development of services locally.

Health Bodies (Salaries and Fees)

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salaries or fees are paid to the (a) chairs and (b) chief executives of (i) the Health Care Commission, (ii) the Social Care Commission, (iii) Monitor and (iv) the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; and how many days' work per week each is required to undertake.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 January 2005
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Organisation  Position  Salary (£) Days work per week 
		
		
			 Healthcare Commission Chair 150,878 5 
			 Healthcare Commission Chief Executive 160,000 5 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection Chair 84,456 3 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection Chief Inspector 145,000 5 
			 Monitor Chair(5507190039) 195,000 5 
			 National Institute for Clinical Excellence Chair 23,654 3 
			 National Institute for Clinical Excellence Chief Executive 139,353 5 
		
	
	(5507190039) Monitor has an executive chairman.

Health Protection Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether further research recommended by a Health Protection Agency Rapid Review Panel report will be assessed by the panel at a later date; and whether a further report will be issued;
	(2)  how many applications have been reviewed by the Health Protection Agency's Rapid Review Panel to date;
	(3)  for when the Health Protection Agency's Rapid Review Panel's next meeting is scheduled;
	(4)  when he will publish the findings from the Health Protection Agency's Rapid Review Panel's meeting which took place on 29 November.

Melanie Johnson: Manufacturers of products submitted to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) rapid review panel are responsible for deciding whether to act on the panel's recommendation. If the manufacturer decides to undertake further work, they can resubmit the application once the work is complete.
	Reports are issued by the HPA for all products considered by the panel.
	Reports for 20 of the 25 products reviewed on 29 November were published on the HPA website on 15 December. The reports for the other five products will be published in January.
	A final date has not been set for the next meeting of the rapid review panel, but it will be in late January or early February 2005.
	32 applications have been reviewed by the panel to date.

Living Wills

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on living wills (advanced directives) forms being handed out to patients admitted to NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As part of the treatment process, a healthcare professional will discuss with a patient their possible treatment options and seek their consent. This should, where an individual's condition makes it appropriate, include how they would like to be treated if or when they become incapacitated. An advance directive allows patients to indicate what treatment they would, or would not, wish to receive should they not be capable of making a decision in the future.

Nurse Numbers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2004, Official Report, column 1155W, on nurse numbers, how many students entered training to become a nurse or midwife in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available; and what proportion of entrants (i) completed their training and (ii) commenced practice in each year.

John Hutton: The table shows the number of nurses and midwives entering pre-registration training in 1996–97 and the latest available year.
	
		Pre-registration nursing and midwifery training commissions
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1996–97 14,984 
			 2003–04 24,284 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly Monitoring Returns
	Information on the number of nurses who complete training each year was collected by the English National Board for Nursing until its abolition in March 2002 with the creation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The latest complete information is only available for the 1997–98 cohort of nursing and midwifery students, of whom 72 per cent., had completed training by October 2001.
	The NMC holds information on the number of nurses and midwives initially entering the register, a pre-requisite for employment in the national health service and other sectors in the United Kingdom. This information can be found at www.nmc-uk.org.

Nurse Numbers

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses working in the NHS have been recruited from overseas; how many have dependent children; and how many earn less than a gross annual income of (a) £20,000, (b) £15,000, (c) £13,480 and (d) £5,060 from their employment with the national health service.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registers all nurses who work in the United Kingdom. The NMC provides a statistical analysis of the register; this can be found on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.org.

Ovarian Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new procedures have been implemented for early detection of ovarian cancer in the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: There is currently no evidence that introducing screening for the early detection of ovarian cancer would save lives. At the moment, there is no screening test reliable enough to be used in women with no symptoms.
	Currently the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS) trial is investigating whether screening using CA125 blood test or ultrasound detection will detect ovarian cancer in its early stage. Unlike cervical cancer there is no recognised pre-cancerous abnormalities of the ovary that can be detected and treated. 200,000 women are involved in this study and it will report around 2010. This study is also looking at the implications of introducing ovarian cancer screening into the national health service, what anxieties and fears being screened may raise and what complications might arise.
	There is also the nearly completed research, commissioned by the Department, on identifying significant diagnostic factors for ovarian cancer in primary care. This research aims to determine approximately the degree of risk represented by different symptoms and combinations of symptoms, to determine cancer detection rates resulting from different referral strategies and ascertain which factors may contribute to delays in referral or diagnosis.
	In 1999, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published "Improving Outcomes Guidance for Gynaecological Cancers" outlining how the NHS treats patients with gynaecological cancer, including ovarian cancer. One of the major outcomes of this guidance was the introduction of specialist teams to treat gynaecological cancers and these have been in place since the guidance was published.
	Patients urgently referred by a general practitioner with suspected cancer should be seen within two weeks. Latest figures show that 99.5 per cent. of suspected gynaecological cancer referrals were seen within the two-week period.

Patient Environment Action Team

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department is doing to ensure that more hospitals move up the score ladder of the Patient Environment Action Team.

John Hutton: The patient environment action team (PEAT) score is based on the standards observed on the day of the assessment. It is for each national health service trust to take action locally to maintain and where necessary, improve those standards. Any improvements made since 2004 will be reflected in the 2005 assessments.
	Since the launch of the clean hospitals programme, £68 million has been allocated to the NHS to assist in raising standards. The Department has also issued a range of advice, guidance and best practice on ensuring high standards of cleanliness, including the "National Specifications for Cleanliness", the "NHS Healthcare Facilities Cleaning Manual" and "Guidance on Contracting for Cleaning". NHS Estates also provides an advice and support service for any hospitals assessed as less than acceptable to assist them in addressing the shortfalls identified.

Patient Forums (Greenwich)

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on patient forums in Greenwich;
	(2)  how much has been spent on consultant fees to support patient forums in Greenwich; and what the total cost of setting up the forums has been;
	(3)  how many local residents are serving on patient forums in Greenwich; and how many have resigned since they were set up.

Rosie Winterton: The following patients' forums cover the borough of Greenwich:
	Greenwich Primary Care Trust patients' forum.
	Queen Elizabeth Hospital National Health Service Trust patients' forum.
	London Ambulance Services NHS Trust patients' forum.
	Oxleas NHS Trust patients' forum.
	These four patients' forums have a total of 23 members, 10 of whom live in Greenwich. Since January 2004, 12 members from these four forums have resigned. Three interviews for new members have been scheduled and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) is awaiting further documentation for eight other prospective volunteers. The CPPIH has not employed any consultants to support patients' forums(support to patients' forums is provided under contract with voluntary and charitable organisations.
	The CPPIH budget for setting up patients' forums and supporting them in 2003–04 was £30 million.

Press Officers

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed in the Department.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 November 2004.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on waiting times at the Accident and Emergency Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.

Stephen Ladyman: Information is collected for national health service trusts rather than individual accident and emergency departments. During the quarter ending September 2004 96.4 per cent. of patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust spent less than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

Salt

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures will be taken to reduce the salt content of processed foods to the target set by his Department for 2010.

Melanie Johnson: The Department and the Food Standards Agency are working together with all parts of the food industry, including retailers and manufacturers, to reduce the salt levels of processed foods. The aim is to reduce average population intakes of salt to six grams per person day by 2010.

Residential Care (Savings Disregard)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the level of the savings disregard to £15.51 for people supported by local authorities in residential care.

Stephen Ladyman: A savings disregard is applied to all people supported by local authorities in residential care where income exceeds £79.60. The full disregard is applied to all people supported by the local authority whose weekly income exceeds £87.35 even if their weekly income is so great they would not normally qualify for savings credit.
	The cost of raising the maximum savings disregard for older supported care home residents to £15.51 per week cannot be calculated precisely, as there are no recent data available on the distribution of income of these residents. A best estimate is that the annual cost is likely to be in the range £70 million to £85 million.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs were incurred prior to the launch of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme; what has been the cost of the scheme in each month since its launch; how many individual pieces of fruit and vegetables have been distributed in each month since its launch; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: In 2000–01 and 2001–02, the lottery-funded New Opportunities Fund (NOF) provided £16 million towards the original pilots and in 2002–03 and 2003–04 NOF supported a scaling-up of the original pilots across five Government regions with £42 million.
	The Department spent £0.75 million in 2001–02 and £0.3 million in 2002–03 on administering and evaluating the national school fruit scheme pilots, including the cost of the fruit.
	As detailed in the "Choosing Health" White Paper, the national rollout to all local education authority infant, primary and special schools across England of the scheme was completed at the end of 2004. The Department has committed £77 million for the expansion and continuation of the scheme, now known as the school fruit and vegetable scheme, over 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	I officially launched the national rollout of the scheme on 10 December 2004, at which time over 1,867,000 pupils throughout England were receiving a fresh piece of fruit or vegetable each school day. This equates to approximately 36,500 million pieces of fruit or vegetable every school month.
	More details on our strategy for improving diet will be announced in 2005, when the Government will publish its delivery plan for the White Paper and the food and health action plan.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment (a) has been made and (b) he plans to make of the effectiveness of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, with particular reference to improving long-term eating habits.

Melanie Johnson: The "Choosing Health" White Paper set out the Government's strategy for achieving long-term improvements in the health and diet of the population. The school fruit and vegetable scheme has a key role to play in instilling good eating habits in young people and is contributing towards the obesity public service agreement to:
	"halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole".
	The Department commissioned a National Opinion Poll survey of the school fruit and vegetable scheme, then known as the national school fruit scheme, which was published in October 2003. Nearly half of all parents questioned in that survey thought that the scheme had made them more aware of the importance of fruit for a healthy diet and over a quarter of children and their families reportedly ate more fruit at home as a direct result of the scheme.
	The Big Lottery Fund has commissioned a full evaluation of the impact of the school fruit and vegetable scheme on children's diet and a full report is expected in early 2005. The evaluation uses a dietary assessment tool that has been specially developed for the Department for use with four to six year old children.
	More details on our strategy for improving diet will be announced in 2005, when the Government will publish its delivery plan for the White Paper and the food and health action plan.

Silverlands

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will obtain a market valuation of Silverlands, Chertsey in Surrey.

John Hutton: Silverlands is in the process of being sold and thus any valuations obtained are commercially confidential.

Stolen Property

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants from his Department have (a) faced disciplinary proceedings as a result of allegations of theft, (b) been charged with theft and (c) been dismissed following theft allegations in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: None.

Therapy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times are for (a) cognitive behavioural therapy and (b) other forms of talking treatment in each primary care trust area.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not collect information centrally concerning waiting times for psychological therapies. However, discussion has taken place with the Healthcare Commission concerning the potential for a measure of this type to be included as a local indicator of trust performance. The Healthcare Commission is currently engaged in a public consultation that will help the Commission fulfil its obligations to take account of standards in assessing the performance of health care providers. The Healthcare Commission's document Assessment for Improvement is available on its website at
	http://www.consultation.healthcarecommission.org.uk

TV Information Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of NHS Direct's budget was spent on providing services through digital television channels in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the cost to the Government of providing health information services through television has been since the services were established;
	(3)  whether his Department plans to deliver further health information services through digital television channels.

Rosie Winterton: About £5 million per year will be invested for the next three years in digital television; this is the cost of running the service across all the main digital TV platforms. The digital satellite service (the service at launch) costs just over £2 million per year.
	The resources invested to date come from the Department's budget; not from that of NHS Direct.
	NHS Direct and the Department launched NHS Direct Interactive on digital satellite television on 16 December 2004. During 2005, this service will be extended and will be launched on other digital TV platforms.